Rain
by devil cat07
Summary: It all started when the Devilbats went on a camping trip. A storm hits them and two people find themselves trapped in a cave! Also based on some time in the future.This is my first shot! Rating for language and safety. HiruXMamo
1. Off We Go!

Day 1

(Mamori's POV)

I watched the rain fall. I heard it thundering on the roof above and on the windows all around.

Have you ever noticed how beautiful it actually is? Or how peaceful? Or memorable? I remember that day clearly...

Because of the rain.

* * *

(Normal POV) 

"Hey everyone! Listen up!" shouted Mamori over the noise, and the team fell silent.

Last year's Christmas Bowl was over and summer was just around the corner. Hiruma had made it clear that they wouldn't be doing the Death March (not very hard for him to convince them) and had told Mamori what his plan was.

"Hiruma-kun has made plans for us all to go camping in the woods(cheers around the clubroom) and it will last for a week. The woods have bears so you can bring a few safety precautions. Don't forget to bring all necessary items and be here in two days at 6:00a.m. sharp, got it?" said Mamori. Everyone nodded, grinning at each other.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Hiruma came in. "Told 'em yet?" he asked lazily. She nodded curtly. "Alright shrimps, PRACTICE!!" and pulled out a machine gun, shooting at their feet. "You can ask them to, Hiruma-kun," said Mamori in a exhasperated tone. Sneering, he left her alone.

* * *

"Okay, everybody here and ready?!"Sena shouted over the rumble of the bus. The team cheered and punched the air. "Good! So line up and get on the bus!" 

Mamori came running from the club house and skidded to a halt behind Sena. "Thanks. Have you seen Hiruma-kun?" "No, I thought he was with you! Maybe he's already ion the bus." "Ok, let's go!" and the two joined the rest of the team on the bus.

"Has anyone seen Hiruma-kun?" she asked once aboard. Everyone shook they're heads. "Why don't you try calling him?" Kurita suggested from the back, he was so big the only place he could fit was the back seat (no offense to Kurita fans). She pulled out her cellphone and speed-dialed him.

"What?" came the sharp, irritated answer from the other line.

"Hiruma-kun, where are you? We're all wai-" "I'm already at the campsite. Tell the fucking driver to bring you lot to Kohaku Falls. I'm waiting," and he hung up.

Sighing, she kept her phone and gave the instructions to the driver. "Where is he, Anezaki-san?" asked Musashi. "He's already there," she replied, with a smile.

* * *

They arrived in half an hour to see a frowning Hiruma. 

"What the hell took you so long?!" he demanded.

"It's a bus Hiruma-kun, not a jet airplane," came Mamori's exasperated reply. "Really, can't you be patient for once in your life?"

He simply shrugged. Giving a couple of things to everyone to carry, "Alright, listen up! Everyone is to do exactly what I say when we're camping and don't go wandering off without telling anyone else, especially at night. Now pair up and get in line!" he ordered, and everyone did as they were told: Sena with Monta, Mamori and Yukimitsu, Komusubi (of course) and Kurita, Kuroki and Toganou, Jyumonji and Musashi and Hiruma was the lead.

They walked under the canopy of trees on a faint path, listening to the sound of animals and enjoying the scenery for almost two hours before Hiruma stopped suddenly, causing everyone to walk into each other. Cackling, he turned and said, "Well be camping here for one week and next week, we'll look for another spot," he pointed to the five tents that Komusubi was holding and said, "Everyone share a tent with somebody, now go pitch it in a circle!. I'm gonna go looking for firewood." "I'll come with you," Mamori offered. "You pitch up the tent with the fucking baldy," he said without looking back, and kept walking. Mamori didn't look away until he was hidden by the trees. Sighing, she turned to help Yukimitsu.

"Are you sure you don't mind sharing with me? Don't you want privacy? As a girl?" asked Yukimitsu nervously, "I could share with Sena and Monta..." "No, it's okay Yuki-san," she replied, smiling, "If I need to change or anything, you could wait outside for a moment, right?" Nodding in reply, the two continued putting up their tent.

Hiruma came back with an armful of twigs before calling Mamori over. He conversed with her for a while before shouting out, "Damn manager and I are gonna go climb that ledge over there to determine our location on the map. You idiots do whatever you want but don't get lost!" "They're not children you know, they'll know how to take care of themselves," said Mamori.

As they walked on, Mamori realized something. "Hiruma-kun, where are you sleeping? There are only six-" "That's none of your business, now is it?" he said, cutting her sentence. Irritated, she shot back, "I'm just ASKING you, there's no harm in that!" "I have my own place to sleep, that's that," he replied curtly. They continued the rest of their hike in silence.

When they reached the top of the ledge, the two of them scouted on opposite sides, looking for the break in the trees that would tell them where the river was, that was enough to tell their location. Hiruma discovered it first and kneeled down to mark their spot on the map he had brought. Mamori took this time to venture to the edge of the ledge and peered into the distance.

"I wonder how far you can see from this point of view..."she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, there was a crack, and the next thing she knew, she was falling. She managed to grab the crumbled ledge with one hand, the rest of her hanging a fifty feet from the ground.

"Hiruma-kun!" she cried desperately. All she could hear was the sound of falling rocks and the wind around her. "Hiruma-kun!!" she screamed as the ledge began to crumble beneath her grip. Just as the rocks broke off, a hand shot out to grab her by the wrist. She opened her eyes to see Hiruma's face contorted with strain with one hand supporting him on the ledge. 'He must have threw himself,' she thought.

"Give me your other hand!" he yelled.

The force of gravity pulling her down, she reached her hand up to his outstretched one. They tightened their grips on each other's wrists and Hiruma began pulling her up. Sweat ran down his face as he pulled, his muscles straining and his chest aching. When she was high enough, he raised himself to his knees. Mamori saw the veins pulsing in his arms and neck as he struggled to pull higher. Once waist high, she pulled her legs up and tried to reach the ledge. With one final pull, she managed to use her knees to scramble up, where he grabbed her by the waist and lunged back. Moments later, the ledge broke off.

The two of them sat there side by side, panting and sweating. Between deep gulps of air, Hiruma managed to wheeze out, "Geez, all that fat you piled on could have killed you! What the hell were you doing on that ledge anyway?!" With shuddering breaths, she gasped out a reply, "I was just taking a look..." then fell silent. But when Hiruma tried to get up, she grabbed his sleeve and held him in an iron grip. "What do you want, damn mana-" it was his turn to fall silent. Mamori's fringe covered her eyes, but she was shaking. Her breath was short and she seemed... frightened.

Not knowing what else to do, he put an arm around her and held her close. She let go of his sleeve and grabbed the front of his shirt, hiding her face in his lean chest. 'She's crying...' he thought, as he felt his shirt front get wet. He put another arm around he and rested his chin on the top of her head, rocking gently forwards and backwards. When she finally calmed down, he pushed her away and looked at her face. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was still sniffing, but she had stopped shaking.

"You okay?" he inquired, stroking her head. With a hiccup, she nodded her head and smiled. In a small, soft voice, she muttered a 'thank you'. Hiruma stood up and dusted himself before reaching out with his hand. But when Mamori was about to take it, he stopped her and took her hand palm up. The palm was grazed. Looking at her other hand, it was fine. 'Must have been when she grabbed that ledge,' he thought. Her knees were in the same condition. Sighing, he kneeled down beside her and took out a roll of bandages and proceeded to rinse her wounds with the water from his bottle and wrapping them.

Then, he helped her up and they continued with their silent descent. When they arrived back at camp, everyone asked what had taken them so long and what had happened to Mamori. "She had a little fall on the way, no big deal," Hiruma said smoothly. Mamori couldn't help feeling grateful towards him. They spent the rest of the day getting water, clearing up the camp site, and getting dinner ready. Everyone didn't mind Hiruma, who sat in against a tree typing away on his silver VAIO laptop. After dinner, the happy campers went into their tents. Mamori fell back to see where Hiruma was, only to find him lying on a branch in a tree, one leg swinging below him, staring at the sky.

Stopping below him, she asked in a low voice, "Stargazing, Hiruma-kun?" He peered down at her with his emerald eyes, which looked more piercing than usual with the moonlight reflecting off it. "This isn't something you can see anywhere, try it out," and he retired to his silent form. With his all black outfit, he looked quite like a panther, his leg as the tail. Seeing that he wanted some privacy, she returned to his tent.

'This was a good day,' thougth Hiruma, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds of the night. He remembered the feeling of holding Mamori close. He had never before known that he could comfort someone, not to mention a girl. He had never been comforted before, and he had relied on his instincts to do what he did. 'I wonder what tomorrow's gonna be like...' he thought. With these thoughts, he swung himself down and walked a bit into the distance before arriving at his tent. With a yawn, he lay down to sleep.

* * *

_How was it?? _ _Spent three days to complete the 1st chapter! R&R please!_


	2. Jungle Trekking?

Day 2(1)

The morning was silent. A single bird chirped in the distance, its call echoing throughout the forest. The sound of the river weaved through the trees like an invisible thread. A soft breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and a single brown leaf fell. Morning dew enveloped the undisturbed petals of the white lilies.

Every single one of these details were observed by a pair of gleaming emerald eyes which pierced every leaf, seeing the little red ladybug on the trunk of a great pine tree. The undisturbed silence that enveloped the clearing was serene. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the smell of nature filling his nostrils.

_Snap._

His eyes snapped opened and he looked down from the tree he was relaxing in. He had risen early to see one of the most beautiful sunrises and his peace was now disturbed by the soft sound of footsteps on grass. The intruder was a little far off, so he averted his attention temporarily to a leaf, examining the drops of dew, how the patterns of each leaf was different.

Hiruma heard the footsteps coming closer so he peered down and caught sight of the red-headed manager walking through the trees, eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of human life. 'She might spot my tent,' he thought. After contemplating for a few moments, he decided to make his presence acknowledged. Swiftly, he jumped to the ground and landed a few feet behind her, silent as a tiger stalking its prey.

"What are you looking for?" he asked smoothly.

Shocked, Mamori spun around, only to come face to face with the demonic quarterback. Exhaling deeply, she looked extremely relieved.

"Can you not sneak up on me like that? I almost had a heart attack! It's so quiet he-" she said, a tinge of annoyance tinting her voice. She was cut off when Hiruma put a finger to her lips. She gave him a questioning look and he removed his finger. "Don't disturb the forest," he whispered to her. Now, she felt even more confused. "Who are you and what have you done to Hiruma-kun?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "I'm fine, damn manager," and he gave her a smirk. 'Some way of telling it...' she thought.

They walked back to camp in silence, until Mamori remembered to ask him something.

"Where'd you go last night? You vanished without a trace! I was getting worried cuz I couldn't fi-" "I told you, it's none of your business," he cut her again. "Will you stop cutting into my sentences? That's all you've been doing since we started this trip!" she said in an irritated tone, anger painting her face. When he remained silent, she did too. They arrived to see that everyone was still asleep. According to Hiruma's watch, it was almost eight in the morning.

Out of positively no where, he whipped out a shotgun and shot the air once, only to have a thousand birds screech and fly out of their nests in utter panic. All the other Devil Bats came running out of their tents still in their PJ's. Any trace of sleep had vanished from everyone's face except Musashi, who yawned sleepily in the back.

"Get dressed and ready! After breakfast we're going jungle trekking! Make sure you don't get lost!" Hiruma yelled in front of the gathering, before turning around and marching back to where he and Mamori had come from.

"Taking morning walks with Hiruma, Anezaki?" inquired Musashi, a grin on his face. "No," Mamori was watching Hiruma's dark retreating back, "I was just looking for him this morning. He disappeared last night after dinner." She hadn't told anyone about finding Hiruma lazing in a tree. 'Let him have the privacy he wants, as long as he's not doing something bad,' she added that last part as she remembered the evil schemes he thought of most of the time when people left him to his thoughts.

She had made fried eggs for the team that morning. She made two plates for herself and Hiruma, then left the team to themselves and walked the way she did that Hiruma went earlier. Walking through the forest, she soon reached the clearing. She arrived to find Hiruma crouched down under a tree, his back facing her. He seemed to be holding something and she heard him mumbling something to himself. Slowly, He stood up and looked up into the tree. Suddenly, he jumped and grabbed the lowest branch with one hand before swinging into the tree.

Mamori set down the plates and jogged to the tree Hiruma had disappeared into and looked up. She saw him climbing to one one of the high branches. She proceeded in following him up. She climbed high enough to see him clearly. He took something from his pocket and, to Mamori's surprise, in his hands was a baby bird, chirping. Gently, he put the bird in a nest on the branch he was sitting on. Then, he just sat there, observing it. An adult bird flew to the nest with a worm. It didn't seem to mind Hiruma's presence.

Just then, Mamori's foot slipped and she gave a soft gasp, before regaining her balance and looking back up. Hiruma was looking down at her with a blank expression. Then, he silently motioned for her to join him. Confused, she continued her climb and sat on the branch beside him. There were three baby birds and the mother was feeding them. The two of them continued watching until the mother bird had nestled down upon its young and proceeded in staring at them with a beady black eye.

"Let's go," Hiruma whispered into her ear and started climbing down. She quietly followed suit. When she reached the ground, Mamori turned to see Hiruma eating the breakfast she had brought. Sitting down on the grass beside him, she took a bit of egg and popped it in her mouth. After a few moments of silence and their eggs gone, she looked at him from the corner of her eye. His emerald eyes, which were watching the sky, came in contact with her sapphire ones before returning to the heavens.

"What?" he asked simply. Smiling warmly, she looked at the white lily beside her before saying, "That was a nice thing you did back there." "I couldn't leave it alone, it was calling me. I don't ignore things that call me," he replied smoothly before lying back on the grass. Mamori giggled at his somewhat strange behavior before smiling down at him, "Yeah.." She lay down beside him and watched the clouds drift lazily by.

"I didn't know you were into nature. You're always absorbed in either American football or your laptop," she said, eyes still on the sky. He grunted in reply before getting up and brushing his jeans clean, "I better go get those idiots ready." Mamori stood up and picked up the plates before jogging to catch up with Hiruma's long strides.

When they arrived back at camp, Musashi was the first to see them.

"Where were you two?," he said with a small smile. Mamori blushed a soft tone of pink and said, "I just went looking for Hiruma to give him his breakfast, that was all!" and walked off in a huff. "And you were gone, why?" inquired Musashi, his smile widening. Not visibly disturbed, Hiruma said with a blank tone, eyes closed, "I was just walking around, no big deal, fucking old man," and walked to the middle of the campsite.

"Okay idiots! Get in line!! Grab those bags, we're leavin' this joint! Remember to pay attention to everything!" and when everyone was in line, he spun around and walked into the trees. He led them tumbling and scrambling through the forest, what with the luggage he had made them carry, it was almost sheer torture! When they arrived at a clearing nearly four hours of hiking. Everyone collapsed in a heap when Hiruma stopped in the center of the clearing.

"Now wait here," he ordered before disappearing into the trees. "Where do you think he's going?" Monta asked Yukimitsu. "I have no idea. Let's just be thankful he stopped!" he gasped out. Mamori looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "I don't think we should relax. He could be up to anything, don't you think so?" Everyone became silent for a moment. A chill came across them as they thought of the possibilities.

Suddenly, there was a soft crack. Everyone jumped (or they tried to, they were too tired) and shook when they heard a buzz from what seemed the entire forest. Next thing they knew, Hiruma's demonic laughter filled their ears and echoed in the clearing. "Alright, I see you're all re-energized enough to continue! Who remembers what I said at the start of this hike?" boomed his voice. It seemed to come at them from all directions, which didn't help their nerves. They all tried to push away their tiredness and attempted to recall his previous speech.

"You told us to pay attention to everything," said Jyumonji.

"Precisely. Now, everyone grab a bag," and they did, "Take out a map from inside it. You will also see a sandwich, water bottle, compass, a flare and a roll of bandages, right?" they all started murmuring to each other, "The map has three marks, a blue, a black and a red. First, you are to make your way to the blue mark and find something I tied with a red cloth. Second, go to the black mark and use the object to get something tied with a white cloth. Lastly, make your way back to camp, the red mark. If you fail to find either one or get lost in two days, use the flare and I'll come for you. The distance is reasonable to get in one day, so GET BACK TO CAMP! That is all," and with a crack, all was silent again.

"WHAT?!!" or so we thought.

* * *

_I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Wait for the next!! R&R please  
_


	3. The Game

Day 2(2)

"What does he think we are?!" yelled Toganou.

"We're not used to surviving in forests!!" screamed Kuroki.

"Please, please! Calm down!" Mamori was yelling.

When everyone had calmed down, they took out their maps and examined them. All the marks were quite a distance away and all the maps had different locations, except for the red mark. Checking their backpacks, they agreed on getting back together at the clearing and started leaving.

'This must be the reason Hiruma wanted to determine our location on the map...' thought Mamori, watching the retreating backs of her comrades before turning and, with a deep breath, went her way.

* * *

Hiruma sat on the broken ledge, feet dangling downwards, eyes scanning the treetops. He'd be staying on that ledge unless something made him have to leave. He looked up to the heavens and thought to himself, 'Was this really a good idea? I'm missing out all the fun...'

* * *

"MUKYAAA!!!" Monta had tripped on a tree stump and landed flat on his face. 

"Damn Hiruma with his damn ideas of fun..." he muttered into the dirt, before getting up and dusting himself. He looked at his map, his compass... "IT'S HERE!! SOMEWHERE!!! I'M GOING TO SURVIVE!!! EFFORT MAX!!!" and with his finger in the air, he started searching.

* * *

"AAAAH!!!" Sena was running through the forest from a woodpecker, which seemed to think Sena's hair was wood. He turned back and saw-- a red cloth tied around its leg. Taking a quick glance at his map and compass, he made a sudden turn and caught the bird right on its beak and legs. 

Almost immediately, the bird stopped moving, but stared at Sena with its eyes. Loosening his grip on the bird, it flew onto his shoulder and stayed there, watching him. "Okay, now the black mark..."

* * *

Mamori stumbled through the thick bushes as she looked for the item. 

'What in the world could it be??' she was getting hot and irritated, plus her patience was running out. Just then, she saw a little red pouch behind a boulder and she pounced on it. "Gotcha!" she cried out in relief. Opening it, she tipped its contents onto her palm—a seed and a crystal. Confused, she put them back in and continued to the black spot.

* * *

_Okay, if I tell __how everyone__ finds their __items, it would probably take forever so, let's make it short, kay?_

* * *

_Blue mark :_ Yukimitsu and Musashi—spade, Monta and Toganou—acorn, Jyumonji—water in a glass bottle, Kuroki—the bottom bit of a stalactite, Komusubi—a fern, Kurita—piece of bark

* * *

_Black mark :_

Mamori had to put the crystal in a glass bottle and the seed in a cardboard boat then put it into a river. Soon, a box with a white ribbon fell in front of her. Inside was a necklace made of black string with a small, metal fish bone as a locket.

Sena had to make the woodpecker peck on a marked tree, finding a wristband with the word 'confidence' sewn on it.

Yukimitsu and Musashi had to dig to find the items. Yukimitsu: silver star with chain; Musashi: a box which contained the kick tee from when they had played against Saibu.

Monta and Toganou had to climb an oak tree to get their items. Monta: a baseball; Toganou: a novel.

Jyumonji had to look in the river, where he found a plastic koi fish entitled with the word 'friendship'.

Kuroki's was in a cave, where he found a small plastic bag. Inside, he found a figurine of three people standing together.

Komusubi's was hidden among fern, where he found a headband saying, 'small but sturdy'.

Kurita's was inside a hollow tree missing a bit of bark, a hunk of wood carved into the shape of a big chestnut with the words 'Master-senpai' on it.

* * *

With all these things, they made their way back the clearing before going back to camp. 

It was deserted, but the fire was still burning. There was something amiss... many objects had been moved, onto its side or upside down.

Everyone separated in search of him, calling out.

Mamori went straight towards the clearing Hiruma always went to. When she was near enough, she saw something black on the grass in the clearing. Just as she was about to sigh in relief, she saw the white lily beside him; glistening red. Cold shivers ran down her spine as she walked slowly towards him, legs shaking. Her breath had become unsteady and her heart pounded in her chest. She saw Hiruma lying face down on the ground, his arms above his head as if he had fallen.

"Hiruma-kun?" she called out softly, kneeling at his side. His chest was wising and falling ever so slightly, but he didn't respond. She put a hand on his shoulder and slowly pulled him onto his back. Her heart practically skipped a beat and she stopped pulling him when she saw blood on the grass. She pulled him onto his back and her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide open with shock.

Three long scratch marks stretched from Hiruma's left chest to the right side of his stomach, tearing his shirt. Blood was slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth but the wound on his front had stopped. His face was as white as sheet. 'How long has he been like this?' she wondered, worry making her have trouble breathing. "Hiruma-kun?" she said softly, wiping the blood from his mouth with her thumb.

"Help! Somebody?!" she yelled, her heart pounding furiously. "Anezaki! What's wrong?" cried Musashi, coming out from the trees with Kurita. His stopped in his tracks when he saw Hiruma's pale face and Kurita looked like he was about to faint. Kurita rushed to Mamori's side and gently carried Hiruma in his arms. Together, the three walked back to the campsite, Musashi supporting Mamori.

When they got back, everyone else was waiting. They gasped and stared wide-eyed at Hiruma's unconcious body.

"I've never seen him that vulnerable!" whispered Kuroki to Toganou. "I don't remember ever seeing him vulnerable!" he said back.

Kurita carried Hiruma into Jyumonji and Musashi's tent since it was the closest and lay him down on one of the sleeping bags. Mamori entered with a first aid kit and Musashi helped her get his shirt off. The look of his wounds didn't do anything to relieve their worry. "Can you get me some water so I can clean his wound?" she asked him, her voice still quivering. Nodding silently, Musashi left the tent.

Mamori looked at his face and gently caressed his cheek, brushing his hair out of his face. He looked so different when he was asleep, a sort of innocence showing. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and she wiped them away hastily.

"Anezaki, I have the water," said Musashi, sticking his head into the tent and handing her a bucket full of water. "Thank you..." she said, smiling. "Do you need any help?" he asked, concern written all over his face. "No, its okay. I'm just... shocked..." she said, turning away from him and sniffing. "I'll be fine!" she said, turning back to him and giving him a big convincing smile. Giving her a nod, he left her alone with Hiruma.

Taking a clean handkerchief from her bag, she proceeded in cleaning his wounds. Then, she applied antiseptic on it and wrapped his upper torso with long bandages. Hiruma remained unconcious throughout the procedure. She brushed a stray strand of hair away from his face, and the next thing she knew, he was staring at her with those emerald orbs of his. The silence that had enveloped them intensified as Mamori struggled to say something.

"Thank you," he said suddenly. Mamori gave him a small smile, "What happened Hiruma-kun? I thought you of all people could take care of yourself." "Heh, I didn't know you lot would take so long to get back. I left my gun in the tent a little way off when the bear came," he said, facing the ceiling of the tent.

"Anezaki-san, dinner's rea—Hiruma-kun! You're awake! Are you okay??" asked Kurita, popping his head in. "Ceh, I'm fine, fucking fatty," Hiruma retorted. "I must tell the others! Oh, dinner's ready, Anezaki-san," and he left them alone again. "I'm sorry," said Mamori, still facing the doorway. "..? What the hell are you talking about, damn mana—" " I suggested to everyone that we get back together in the clearing before coming back to camp. If I... if someone had come back earlier, you wouldn't be... you wouldn't have..." she bit her bottom lip and fought to fight back tears.

Mamori felt a hand on hers and turned to see Hiruma sitting up and looking at her with an unreadable expression. "Hiruma-kun! You shouldn't be sitting up! Your wound is still—" she started, flabbergastered. But Hiruma silenced her by putting a finger on her lips. "I'm fine, and this is not your fault. Things like this happen all the time, so stop torturing yourself, you hear me? Now go get me some dinner, I'm hungry." Mamori couldn't help smiling a she left the tent. 'Just like him. He never allows people to treat him like a child,' she thought.

After dinner, Mamori left Hiruma alone in the tent. Musashi shared a tent with Sena and Monta whilst Jyumonji joined Kuroki and Toganou.

Mamori went back to the clearing and looked around. 'Hiruma said his tent was a little way off, I wonder where...' she wondered, walking around, peering into the darkness. After a while, she saw it. It's size was moderate and snug, hidden behind some bushes. She peered inside and was a bit surprised to see it tidy. She opened a bag and took out some shirts and pants and was about to leave, when she saw something silver shining in the bag.

She reached into the bag and picked it up. It was a rectangular locket on a black string with a fishbone imprint on it. The locket couldn't open, and then something struck her. She pulled her locket and compared it with the imprint on Hiruma's; it fit perfectly, and the locket opened. Her eyes widened as she saw what was inside.

* * *

_Tadaa—how was it? I thought it was kinda interesting, but I'll leave the judgement to you!! XD And can someone tell me how to spell 'concious', I just know I ddi it wrong...  
_


	4. The Storm

Day 5 (I know, I skipped the days. Explanation coming up.)

As well as Hiruma claimed he was, Mamori did not allow him to leave the tent for the next three days. Throughout those days, everyone relaxed and lazed around the campsite.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" said Hiruma, irritated beyond words. "Lie down and let me check your condition," Mamori said calmly, practically pushing him down. With him muttering curses under his breath. Mamori undid his bandages and checked the wounds. They were clean and had healed well over the few days. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with them. But that doesn't mean you can start jungle trekking again, maybe a few more days," she said, wrapping him up again with new bandages.

"Fine. Take the lot night walking, they've been gathering fat long enough," Hiruma said, still sour. "No, I'll tell Musashi-kun to do that. I'm staying here with you," she said, not looking at him. "I can look after my--," he started. "Yes, I've seen proof of that," she snapped. 'What's with her?' he wondered to himself, frowning as Mamori left him alone in the tent.

'Why am I treating him this way?' she wondered to herself, leaning against a tree. "It was that locket! It's not my fault!" she said to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. The rest of the team had started their walk and she was alone with Hiruma. She couldn't make herself feel comfortable with him anymore. She looked up at the sky and stared at the stars.

* * *

"Ne, Musashi?" "What is it Sena?"

They were walking around with torchlights, marking the trees so they wouldn't lose their way.

"Is something going on between Mamori-neechan and Hiruma-san?" Musashi smiled to himself. "What makes you think so?" he asked, pretending to be clueless. "Well..." he started, looking back at the group to make sure no one was listening, "for one thing, she keeps disappearing with him in the morning, she's the only one who knows where to look for him, she seemed really, really worried when he got hurt, and she spends a lot of time in the tent alone with him..." 'Man, this kid's sharper than he seems...' thought Musashi with a smile. "Well, let's just say there is something, but they both don't seem to realize it yet. Don't let anyone else know, okay?" he whispered to Sena.

* * *

Hiruma opened the tent flap and peered out, his emerald eyes scanning the campsite. He caught sight of Mamori sitting on a log by the fire. She seemed somewhat troubled and kept twiddling with something. He couldn't see what it was, so he went out of the tent and crept up to her; it was the fish bone locket.

He reached down and caressed her brunette head, making her spin around in surprise. No words were said, and Hiruma walked back to the tent. Lying down and staring at the sky through the fishnet top of the tent.

* * *

Musashi and the rest came back a while later, chatting excitedly about the things they had seen. "What's wrong, Anezaki-san? You're looking down. Did you have a fight with Hiruma-kun or something?" Kurita asked. She smiled at him and said, "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something... Did you guys have fun? Well, I'm going to get some shut-eye, goodnight everyone!"

* * *

Day 6

"Okay shrimps! Pack up! We're moving!" Hiruma ordered. Mamori had allowed him to move the campsite on the condition that he didn't strain himself during the excavation. He was gonna move them to a place near a lake and waterfall.

The hike wasn't as bad as the one they had on day two because they followed a faint forest path. They arrived a couple of hours later, then spent time pitching up the tents, gathering firewood, fetching water and making the fire.

"Hey, Hiruma!" shouted Jyumonji from the trees. He had been out collecting firewood with Yukimitsu. "There's not much firewood in these parts," he said, dropping a handful onto the ground. "That's enough to start the fire. You and fucking baldy start the fire, I'll go scouting with someone else," he said, scanning the site for someone who wasn't doing anything. To his annoyance, the only one not busy was none other than Anezaki Mamori.

"Tch! Oi! Damn manager!" he called out. "What is it?" she asked, facing him with a slight frown. "I need you to follow me. I'm going scouting for more firewood," he said. Mamori looked around nervously, as if hoping would give her a reason to not go, but there wasn't , so the two went on their way. After almost an hour searching, the had two armfuls of wood and where about to start going back to camp. When a drop of rain landed on Hiruma's shoulder.

"Hey! Manager! Find shelter, its gonna start raining!" he shouted straight away. "Can't we run back to camp?" she asked, almost desperate, even though it was impossible. "No, I think I saw a cave somewhere nearby," and they started running, Hiruma in the lead. By the time they got there, the two were drenched. Mamori gave a sigh of relief as she dropped the wood and started squeezing the water out of her hair.

Hiruma shook his head like a dog, showering his surroundings with little droplets of water. He went to the mouth of the cave and peered at the sky. "It looks like a storm, we'll be stuck here throughout the night. Those idiots better look after themselves," he said, and Mamori groaned. "The last thing I need now is to be stuck somewhere with him," she muttered to herself.

He must have heard her, because the next thing she knew, she was being pinned against the wall of the cave, closing any escape routes with his arms on either side. Her breath came in short breaths as she struggled to look anywhere but his eyes, which never left her face. "What is your problem?! Why have you been avoiding me??" he asked, a tone of anger in his voice. "What is it that you're upset about?? The game I made up?? And I giving you too much trouble or something?! Look at me, Anezaki!" he yelled over the thunder.

"Please! Leave me alone! I don't want to talk about it!" she screamed, covering her face and cowering under his intense stare. "What is it?! If you have a problem with me, tell me what the fuck it is!!" "It's your locket!!" she blurted. His was terrifying and if he didn't stop, she was going to go crazy. Mamori could feel his eyes burning onto her head, his hot breath on her face. Hot tears ran down her face as silence enveloped both of them. The only sound was the rain.

"My... locket??" he asked, in a quiet voice. "I saw it when I went to get your clothes, I... I..." and she started sobbing. He backed away from her and went to the other side of the cave, a hand on his face, covering his eyes. Mamori's knees couldn't hold her trembling weight and she sank to the ground. The two of them stayed in their positions for quite some time until Hiruma turned around.

Mamori had stopped crying, but she was shivering and even in the dark, he could see that she was pale. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Hiruma walked up to Mamori and sat beside her, closing the gap between them. Then, hesitating for a moment, he put his right arm over her shoulders. Mamori peeked at him through her hair before looking down again. Hiruma let silence fall upon them for a few moments before asking, "Did you... open it?" and she gave a small nod in reply.

He had been afraid someone would discover it, which was why he had chosen to pitch his tent somewhere a little isolated. Taking a deep breath, he faced Mamori and said, "Look at me Mamori." She raised her head a little, but he knew she wasn't facing him. Using the index finger and thumb of his left hand, he tilted her chin upward and turned it towards him. Then, with her watery eyes gazing into his, he kissed her.

* * *

_KYAAAAA!!! I don't care if it was crappy! Me likey! XD __Hoping you is also liking!! (Ignore the stupid English...)  
_


	5. Day at the Lake

Day 6 Continues...

Mamori's eyes flew wide open with shock and her whole body was tense. In fact, Hiruma was just as shocked as she was, she just didn't know it. But the feel of his burning and surprisingly soft lips against hers added with the warmth of his arms around her made her relax.

Hiruma gently traced the outline of her lower lip, nibbling on it, asking for entry. She let out a low moan and parted her lips slightly, allowing his tongue to enter and explore her. Her arms snaked around his neck as they deepened the kiss, wrestling with their tongues. Hiruma savored the sweet taste of her and held her closer. When they finally pulled apart, Mamori was sitting on his lap.

They gazed into each others' eyes for a few moments 'til Mamori kissed Hiruma on his Adam's apple, making him groan. Then, Hiruma started trailing wet kisses from her lower jaw all the way to her collarbone, nipping her soft skin every now and then. He finished off by kissing her right behind her right earlobe. Her eyes snapped open and she moaned loudly with his last motion. She kissed the corner of his mouth before the two held each other close with their heads rested on the others' shoulder, breathing hard.

Both of them were blushing hard and Mamori had red marks where Hiruma had kissed her. Her hands rested on his chest and his arms stayed wrapped around her shoulders, protecting her from the cold. Mamori pulled away for a while and adjusted her position so now she was sitting with her legs wrapped around his waist before wrapping her arms around him again. She felt safe in his arms and she cuddled closer to him.

He chuckled at her behavior and kissed her on the top of her head before softly whispering straight into her ear, "I'm sorry." She looked into his eyes and replied, "I love you too, Yoichi," and with one last kiss, the two fell asleep.

* * *

Day 7

Musashi and Jyumonji were struggling to pass a tangle of bushes. Everyone had left the campsite in search of their missing quarterback and manager. The storm had ravaged the forest, making it hard to track them. They had waited several hours since after they woke up before deciding to search, leaving Yukimitsu with Komusubi and Kurita back at camp in case they came back.

"Where the heck could they be?" asked Jyumonji, apparently irritated. "Since we're talking about Hiruma Yoichi, I have absolutely no idea. The fact that Anezaki Mamori was with him doesn't help ei-," Musashi stopped abruptly. "What is it?" asked Jyumonji, walking up towards Musashi and searching for what he was looking at, then he saw it; a cave. Looking at each other, they started their walk. When they arrived near the mouth of the cave, Musashi signaled to Jyumonji to be quite and to wait for a moment. Then, he quietly walked to the cave and slowly peered inside.

There, sleeping peacefully in each other's arms lay (or actually, sat); Hiruma Yoichi and Anezaki Mamori. Though he had expected something going on, he hadn't expected something like this happening all of a sudden. Musashi accidentally stepped on a small twig and he smirked when Hiruma frowned and hugged Mamori closer. Silently, he snapped a picture of them and called Jyumonji. Jyumonji too, must have already suspected something, but that didn't mean his face didn't show any surprise. Reverting his eyes back to the sleeping couple, Musashi inquired quietly, "Should we wake them up?" and Jyumonji replied, "No, we should leave them. Come on," and so, they turned around and started to walk. But just as he was about to take his third step, Musashi turned around and called back, "Come back to camp before they start suspecting something!" and continued walking.

Once they were hidden by the trees, Hiruma opened one gleaming emerald eye and muttered, "Who cares? Fucking old man," and Mamori smiled. Opening her eyes, she kissed his chin and inquired, "Stop using that language?" then kissed the corner of his mouth. Smirking, he gazed into her eyes and said, "Fucking make me," and he kissed her softly. "Mornin', Angel," he said, smiling a smile she had never before seen, and so she smiled back in a similar way and said, "Good morning, my demon." Brushing a lock of hair out of her face, he said, "We should get going, huh?" and she nodded, leaning her head onto his chest for a few moments.

Then, the two got up and stretched before starting their walk back to camp. They made to pick up as much firewood as they could on their way back. When they got back, they saw that Sena and Monta weren't back yet; apparently Monta wouldn't give up 'looking for his Mamori-san before it is too late MAX'!! "Well, those fucking shrimps had better be back soon, or I'd fry 'em alive," and Hiruma left them. Sighing, Mamori turned to help everyone clear up the campsite. The previous storm had left damage on as many things as it could touch.

Still, Mamori couldn't help smiling at Hiruma's quick change of attitude. Yukimitsu noticed the smile and sighed. The two of them were actually being so obvious that he was quite surprised most of them hadn't noticed yet... especially Kuroki with his 'love letter addiction'. 'Oh, well,' he thought, 'be thankful that Suzuna isn't here, it would've been utter chaos!' and he continued his chores.

"How come Hiruma isn't helping out with this crap?!" yelled Toganou suddenly, throwing away an armful of broken branches. "Um... well,... because...," Kurita was trying to explain to him (apparently, unable to! FAIL) "Because I was out looking for the fucking shrimps, that's why!" Everyone turned in shock to see Hiruma standing exactly on the spot where he had turned an left with Sena and Monta lying at his feet, panting... hard.

"Sena-kun! Monta-kun! Are you okay?!" asked Mamori, rushing to their aid, "Hiruma-kun, what did you do to them?" "Nothing, they fell in the river on the way back," he replied casually, walking away. Sighing, Mamori turned to the two midgets (no offense, please. Just ran out of words.). "Hey, Jyumonji, we're going home tomorrow, right?" she heard Kuroki say. Realization hit her as hard as a rock weighing 100tonnes (heck, I'm confused with the spelling...) 'Tomorrow...' she thought.

"Alright you lot! I want you to bring your clean clothes, food and whatever else you think important. Five minutes! Go!" and with a shot from his handgun, he turned and walked away. "What's he planning?" Monta asked Yukimitsu. "I don't know, what do you think, Kurita-san?" "Who knows. Let's go get ready," and with that, he went away with Komusubi.

(_5 minutes later...)_

"Get together! We're going!" yelled Hiruma, standing at the edge of the campsite. "And, where are we going?" asked Mamori, walking up to him. "Are you ready? It's a surprise," he said. When everyone was together again, Hiruma started walking down a rough path. But there was a faint trail so it wasn't hard to follow. "Keep your eyes open, it's still easy tp get lost," shouted Hiruma from the front.

After some time, the trees forest started to get thinner, the trees grew further apart and more light passed through the canopy. "Hey, Hiruma-san! Where are we going?" asked Monta from the back, only to be ignored. "Hiruma—" Mamori was just about to call out to him when the forest ended and they saw a huge lake. Roughly ten feet of bare ground separated them from the waves lapping at the edge.

Hiruma walked to the edge and did retrieved something from his bag before busying himself with something, standing up, facing them with his eyes hidden beneath his hair and hiding something behind him. Then, he raised his arm to point at some canoes not far off. 'Where'd he get those?' they wondered. Slowly, he raised his face so they could see his eyes glistening under his bangs and a sinister smile started spreading on his face. Before anyone could react, he pulled out an enormous watergun from behind him and started spraying them with powerful jets of water! 'Where'd he get that?!' they wondered.

"Run!" someone yelled and everyone, screaming, made a break for the canoes with Hiruma following close behind, cackling madly. When they arrived, they found just enough loaded water guns of the various kinds and made a grab for them. 'Where'd he get these?!' they wondered. With that, the water fight began! Seeing that everyone was 'armed', Hiruma made a sudden dive into the lake and vanished under the surface. He appeared not far away and sprayed them again, cackling maniacally. Everyone but Mamori jumped into the lake and started swimming around and spraying each other. Mamori stood beside the canoes laughing excitedly.

Soon, the water guns were thrown aside and they started to swim around leisurely. There was a beach ball in one of the canoes so the huh-huh brothers started passing them around with Musashi, Kurita and Komusubi. Monta, Sena and Yukimitsu got into the canoes (after emptying them out) and started rowing away... that is... until Kurita noticed something... "Where's Hiruma-kun?" Everyone froze... "D-Do y-you think he w-went back to camp??" Sena asked. "Or maybe he went exploring in the woods??" suggested Monta. "Mamori-san's gone too..." said Yukimitsu. "YAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAA!!!"

Everyone spun around in surprise to see Hiruma flying out of the forest with a motorboat not far off and behind him, on waterskiis and tied to the boat was Anezaki Mamori! They landed on the water creating a huge splash and sped past them with Mamori laughing out loud. 'Where the friggin' hell did he get that?!!' they wondered. Everyone but Kurita and Komusubi tried the water skiis and Hiruma stayed behind the wheel. He made a game to see who could hold on the longest as he made sharp twists and turns. Surprisingly, Sena turned out to be the winner!

By evening, everyone was tired. They either lazed around or fished with the fishing poles inside one of the canoes. Again, everyone wondered, 'Where'd he get those?' Once the sun was down, they had enough for dinner. They even had marshmallows and sandwiches. Full, they started telling ghost stories and tried the best they could to scare the hell out of everyone else. Hiruma was the only one who managed to do that, successfully managing to make Sena faint (the story shall remain secret... Muahahahaha...).

Afterwards, everyone lay back in a circle and stargazed as sleep overtook them one by one. Just before he fell asleep, Yukimitsu turned to Mamori and asked, "Hey, Mamori-san?" "What is it?" "Don't you mind being the only girl amongst us all? I mean... I dunno, but are you okay with this? Sleeping together like this?" Mamori gave him a small smile before facing the sky and saying, "Well, there's nothing much I can say about that... I regard everyone here as my friend and I don't think anyone would take advantage of me... I trust everyone here," and she closed her eyes, smile spreading wider. "Is that so?" and with that, Yukimitsu closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Hiruma sat beside the fire, watching over his sleeping comrades. The fire reflected in his intense eyes as they rested on the sleeping female nearby. A small smile spread across his lips as he remembered the night before. Leaving the fire burning, he lay down beside her and let sleep envelope him.

* * *

_Ok, the starting was crappy and I got carried away, but the water fight was fun!! Wheeeee XD_


	6. Goodbye Kohaku Falls

Day 8

Hiruma awoke early before dawn, like he always did. It was plain habit that awoke him everyday. He turned to see everyone still sleeping, but someone was missing: Anezaki Mamori. Propping himself onto his elbows, his emerald eyes scanned the area for any signs of the brunette. He frowned upon failing to detect her. The sky was still dark and any moron who woke up now would have thought the sun had just set.

Pushing himself up, he dusted his pants and started walking around, eyes peeled for any signs of the missing manager. Then, he saw a faint footprint in a patch of sand not far off. 'Jackpot,' he thought, a grin appearing. With silent footsteps, he followed the trail and found himself in a small clearing (I'm into clearings... Could you guess?). Dew rested upon the blades of grass and the leaves on the trees undisturbed. There wasn't a hint of a breeze but the forest was cool. The moonlight that still shone above reflected on the many drops, causing them to shine like stars. A pair of fireflies flew in circles before him, making him smile. 'Those idiots have absolutely no idea what their missing,' he thought to himself.

A rustle of leaves made his ears prick (like in the anime) and he spun around. He wasn't able to determine the source, and he wasn't able to see anything. Remembering his objective, he squinted a bit and looked around. 'It's quite... too quite,' and suddenly, from behind Hiruma, Mamori jumped out with a handgun aiming right at him and started squirting him with water! "Hey! What the heck?!" he spluttered, shielding his face from the attack. Mamori was laughing happily, "Stop it! Hey! This isn't fair!!" he yelled. She stopped, allowing him to wipe his face before tackling him down to the ground. Sitting on him, she gave him one last squirt before saying, "That's for yesterday," then flinging the gun aside.

She gazed at his face and noted how the moonlight brought out his sharp, handsome features, the water drops trailing down his cheeks. His blond hair was matted onto his forehead, giving him a sexy look. He too, noted how her face had a soft glow to it when the moonlight reflected of it. Her hair had been tied back but some stray strands hung before her face, making her look as beautiful as ever. He gently pushed the strands back and tucked them behind her right ear. She reached up and rested her hand on his, holding his cool hand to her warm cheek. Suddenly, a grin broke out on his face spreading from ear to ear and the next thing she knew, she was on her back with Hiruma was kneeling over her, using his hands to support himself.

He lowered his head so that his mouth was right next to her left ear and whispered, "I win," sending shivers down her spine. He kissed her directly on her weak spot, below her earlobe. She moaned as he pulled back his head and stood up. Offering his hand, she took it and he pulled her up. "You're lucky I have a towel you know," he said, one arm snaking around her shoulders, holding her close to him. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his well-built waist. Together, they walked back to the lake. They arrived to see everyone still asleep; perfect. They sat close enough so their feet were washed by the gentle waves. They didn't notice, but actually, not everyone was asleep. 'They took long enough...' thought Musashi, as the first rays of sunshine broke out from the emerald ocean of trees.

* * *

"Alright, listen up! When we arrive back at camp, we're packing up and going straight back, got it? Take one last look, we might just come back some day," said Hiruma, grinning his usual demonic grin. Musashi had taken a group photo of them all a few moments ago and as they started their departure, everyone turned to catch their last glance of the lake. When they arrived at their campsite, everyone went back to their tent and began packing up. In half an hour, everyone was packed and ready. For the past fifteen minutes, Hiruma had been sitting in a tree, watching everyone's progress. In his hand, he held his locket. 

As they hiked back, one by one, they all noticed that some of the trees had marks on them. "Hey, Hiruma! Did you mark the trees?" called Jyumonji from the back. "Kekekeke! So you noticed!" he called back. "Why?" asked Monta. "Cuz it's easier than using a compass, fucking monkey!" he retorted, cackling. "You can't live a day without cursing, can you?" said Mamori, sighing. "Kekeke, you got that right, fucking manager," and she blushed, causing him to laugh harder.

They arrived by the road in roughly two hours time. "Man, Hiruma. Last week you said we'd be looking for a new camping spot. I thought you were planning a two week camping trip!" said Musashi, walking up to him. Hiruma had just called the bus to pick them up so they had to wait half an hour. "I see you two are finally together," he whispered, standing beside him. "Heh, there's nothing I can hide from you, is there?" answered Hiruma. "I always knew you two would end up together. Suzuna will be overjoyed," he said, smiling. "Kekekekeke! What do i care about that fucking roller blades? I bet you can't wait til she gets together with the fucking shrimp!" he said, cackling maniacally.

The two of them continued talking until the bus arrived. Hiruma sat in the backseat and Kurita squeezed himself into the seat on opposite him on the the row in front so he was alone. Mamori was the last to come on and when she saw Hiruma alone, she smiled to herself before walking straight to him. No one else was sitting alone, anyway. Sitting beside him, she turned to see him staring out the window with his chin resting in his hand. The two remained silent as the bus started moving.

After some time, "Are you gonna keep it secret?" Mamori asked suddenly. Without turning to look at her, he said, "We'll see," and cackled silently.

* * *

When they arrived back at school, everyone left for home, except two certain people. They went into the clubhouse. Dropping their bags into a corner, Mamori proceeded in brewing up some bitter black coffee with no sugar for Hiruma and some milk coffee for herself. She had gotten so used to being with him she didn't need to ask what he wanted. While waiting for the water to heat up, she started cleaning the clubhouse (Beware, dust bunnies!! NYAHAHAHA!!!). Hiruma sat on his favorite chair with his feet propped up on the table and was typing away on his beloved laptop (Inner Hiruma: Oh, how I miss you!!!), something he hadn't been doing for the past week. 

When the coffee was ready, Mamori poured them into two cups they (well, she) kept in one of the cupboards and gave Hiruma his. She continued sweeping the floor in silence as Hiruma sipped his coffee. While she was wiping a cupboard, Mamori noticed that the sounds of Hiruma's typing had ceased to exist. Confused, she turned to see Hiruma sitting with his head tilted down and his eyes closed. His arms were folded on his chest and his lips were slightly parted. He looked so different when he was asleep. He actually looked... innocent. Several days ago, Mamori would have screamed for even thinking that, but once she had seen the side of him no one had ever seen before, it was easier to except that the Demon of Deimon was just a normal human, with an insane attitude (the good girls will always fall for the bad boys...).

Gently, as to not disturb him, she picked up his laptop, seeing many, many windows of various websites and closed it. She was afraid he might lose some data if she shut it down, plus she didn't even know how to. Setting it safely on the table, she reached down for his now empty cup. Suddenly, Hiruma's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist before pulling her down for a kiss. Shocked at first, Mamori closed her eyes and responded. It wasn't long, but it was passionate. When they parted, they smiled at each other before Mamori continued the duties she had neglected for the past week and Hiruma reopened his laptop.

'Kekeke... fucking manager has no idea how I plan on telling the news! KEKEKEKEKE!!!' thought Hiruma, smiling sinisterly to himself when Mamori's back was turned... 'kekekekeke...' Mamori suddenly felt a chill go down her spine. Something was telling her, Hiruma was gonna tell everyone their secret soon... hopefully not through blackmail...

* * *

It was quite late before Mamori was finally satisfied with the clubhouse, she kept the broom and rag. When she came back, Hiruma had his bag slung over his shoulder and was waiting at the door, he backpack in his grasp. Nodding towards the door, Mamori took her bag from him and they left the clubhouse. While they were walking towards Mamori's house, Hiruma was trying to decide on whether on not to hold her hand... he wasn't really good at physical contact with someone. Mamori was just about to say something when she saw the look on Hiruma's face (which he was unconsciously showing) and smiled a knowing smile. Silently, she snaked her right arm around him waist and closed the gap between them. Had she looked up, she would had been able to see the tinge of red that tinted his cheeks. His nervousness gone, Hiruma casually slung his left arms around her shoulders. Under the light of the half-moon, they walked in the middle of the street to the Anezaki's residence.

Once at her doorstep, the pulled away and faced each other. "Thanks for walking me home, Yoichi-kun," said Mamori. Kissing her on the forehead, Hiruma grinned at her and said, "Goodnight, Mamori," before turning and walking away. Mamori watched him as his lanky shadow vanished around a corner. When she entered, she was surprised to see her mother standing by the window. "I see my daughter has fallen to the hands of a bad boy," she said unsmilingly. "Mom, he's the quarterback of my team. He's not as bad as he-" "Does he love you?" asked her mother, cutting her short. "Yes, he does. And he has enough proof to show it," stated Mamori, not missing a beat. "And do you love him?" she asked, her sharp eyes gazing into hers. A gentle smile broke out on her lips and she replied, "I do, very much," and the next thing she knew, her mother had enveloped her in a hug and smiling, she said, "Then that's good enough for me. I'm so happy for you! Just as long as you two don't start-" "No, Mom, I'll keep this relationship clean, thank you," she said, pushing her mom away. "I think I'm gonna get a shower, than I'm going to bed. Night, Mom!" said Mamori, going up the stairs.

* * *

As the warm water hit her face, Mamori remembered the way Hiruma had held her... always gentle but firm, unlike his rough looks. 'The more I know him, the more I realize how wrong I was about him. You can never get to know him properly...' she thought, smiling. After her shower, Mamori looked at her cellphone to see a message from Hiruma. "Don't forget to come to practice tomorrow, usual time. Sweet dreams." Shaking her head, Mamori lay on her bed and hugged her teddy. Gazing at the starts shining outside, Mamori closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

* * *

_KYAAAA __I'm so happy I finished this chapter!! The ending was kinda lame, I had no ideas there... major headache!! Thank you so much for reviewing!! You are my inspiration!! A lot of people enjoy the last kissing scene... Nyahahaha!!!  
_


	7. Official

Day 9

_RRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGG!!!_

'Who in the world set that clock?! School doesn't start for practically a month!!' but raises her hand and slams it on the clock, making it silent. Not opening her eyes, Mamori concentrates on going back too sleep. No sooner had the her hand dropped onto the side-table top, she felt something warm rest on it. She frowned, but the 'thing' gave her a warm fuzzy feeling and sleep was coming faster. And suddenly, someone pecked her right on the lips. That was enough to make her jump right to the end of the bed with her back against the cold wall.

Her cheeks were as red as the Devil Bats' uniform and her heart was pounding furiously. Her breath came in short bursts and she found herself staring at a spiky-haired, black clad blond squatting beside her bed with a wide Cheshire cat grin plastered on his face. She felt a rush of emotions go through her like a river; shock, embarrassment, relief, confusion, and anger. For the moment, she'd stick with anger. She opened her mouth and was just about to yell at him when a small voice whispered something in the back of her mind.

"Hiruma-kun, does my mother know you're here?" she asked, her heart, which had just started slowing down, pounding with maximum force. She was surprised it could go faster when Hiruma's grin grew wider. Had he not covered her mouth at that very moment, she would have practically told the entire neighborhood that Hiruma Yoichi was in her room. Calming herself down, she asked him in a quiet (desperate) tone, "What are you doing here??" "Can't I visit my Sleeping Beauty?" he asked, the grin ever-growing. As was her blush.

She was about to retort when he stood up and threw a paper bag at her; Kariya Cream Puffs!! "Hurry up and get ready, practice starts soon, sugar-devouring cream puff eating-machine!" and cackling maniacally, he jumped out her window. That didn't help her heart at all. Running to the window, she saw him swing himself to the ground using the branches of the tree by her window. The way he did it was as if it was something he did everyday. Still, she couldn't suppress a smile.

* * *

"Run, you fucking midgets!! Run!! YAHA!!!" the usual practice had begun, along with a shower of bullets as the appetizer, rocket launchers as the main course and grenades for dessert. The moment Mamori's backside made contact with a chair after running with the team, fetching notes, videos and other things for the quarterback and cleaning the entire clubhouse, the exhausted team came trudging in. And so, with a sigh, Mamori got back up and tended to the boys. 

When they were finally settled, everyone sat down and conversation broke out. Mamori made drinks for everyone before settling down on the only unoccupied seat, beside Hiruma who was typing away on his laptop. Sipping her coffee, she said to him, "You really tired them out, Hiruma-kun," "They're not the only ones who look spent, fucking manager," he replied, a sneer on his face, "I bet you finished all those cream puffs before coming, didn't you? You look like you've already gained weight!" and he cackled manically.

'Jeez, when he's trying to hide the fact that we're having a relationship, he sure makes it obvious!' thought Mamori, glaring at him. "No, I only had one! I brought the rest to share with everyone, but I'm sure you don't want one do you? Mr. Bitter! (I'm blank at the moment...)" and with that she out a big cream puff and took a big bite out off it. But just as she was about to get up, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down, crashing his lips against hers. Mamori's mind went into a haze and she closed her eyes, weaving her fingers through his hair.

Licking her lips, Hiruma was practically forcing her to open her mouth.Moaning hungrily, she did and his tongue entered, pulling the piece of cream puff into his mouth. He could feel her lips curve into a smile as they parted. Swallowing the piece exaggeratively before licking his lips. "Who says I didn't want any?" he asked, smiling maliciously. With his laptop under his arm, he went to the changing room, getting ready for a shower.

Mamori smiled dreamily and touched her lips with her index and middle fingers. That's when she noticed the eerie silence surrounding her. And then she remembered something, she and Hiruma hadn't been the only ones in the clubhouse. Turning around, she saw the entire Devilbats team staring at her dumbstruck. "Ne, ne! You-nii's an awesome kisser, isn't he, Mamo-nee?!" screamed Suzuna excitedly, jumping up and down. Suddenly, Sena fainted and Monta started foaming at the mouth. Kurita and Komusubi seemed frozen stiff while Taki started spinning on one leg, "A-ha-ha! I knew this would happen all along!" "Liar!" yelled the huh-huh brothers in unison.

Musashi just smiled and went into the changing room in search of the tall quarterback. He entered to see the said person pulling on a black T-shirt. "That wasn't how I'd expected it to be," he said, pulling of his uniform and proceeding in taking of the guards. "Kekekeke, it was a spontaneous action you know," replied Hiruma, shutting his locker. Just as he was about to exit the room, Musashi called out to him. He turned his head and Musashi threw something at him. Hiruma caught it between his fore and middle fingers and glanced at it. A grin spreading on his face, he said, "You're quite sneaky, fucking old man," and he walked out.

* * *

Mamori came out from the shower and was just about to jump on her bed when she saw a photo resting on her pillow. Picking it up, a warm smile spread on her lips as she realized what it was; a picture of her and Hiruma cuddled together in the cave. Turning it over, there was a small note written in crisp, sprawling but neat writing, 'That fucking old man has his moments. –Hiruma'.

* * *

The rest of the summer just went by, and fall just came and went. School was going to be over in just a few more days. Mamori and Hiruma had become an official couple, but for most of the school, the news was still sinking in. At first, someone had caught them lip-locked on the school roof from the field. No one believed him, I mean come on! She was the a member of the disciplinary committee and he was the #1 bad boy, angel and demon, light and dark. They definitely didn't match... until Hiruma got irritated. 

One day, he simply walked up to her in the halls and with his hand behind her head, he crashed his lips against hers. To the horror of the watching crowd, Mamori responded. A brave, brave girl took a photo of them with her cellphone and sent it to everyone she knew. It ended up coming out in the Amefuto Monthly. Mamori blushed and ignored the remarks given by the excited cheerleader.

On their first official date, Hiruma had brought her to see a movie before having dinner in a not-so-fancy restaurant. But when they got into his car, he didn't go straight to her house, but to the edge of a high cliff which overlooked the town. Under a sea of stars, showered by the light of a full moon, sitting on the bonnet of his car with the soft breeze playing with their hair, he had kissed her; deeply and lovingly, her delicate hands playing with his soft hair. That was where he first told her he loved her, something very hard for a person like him to say.

When winter came, Hiruma brought Mamori to a certain cafe daily called 'Mornin' Cloud'. It was owned by a friendly old man who customers called him Max. Hiruma would order black and milk coffee along with three crossaints, then sit in the back booth by the window everyday. They became close to Max (not his real name) and he treated them like his own grandchildren. That's how it was... but unknowingly to them, it was all about to change...

* * *

_Damn! You have __no idea__ how hard it is to write without your __entire family__ knowing! Especially my mom! I know the name of the cafe was lame, but... I'm clueless right now, 'kay? Hope you liked it, may the suspense make you stay tuned for the next chappy!! XD YAHA!!! _


	8. Rain in Winter

(Eh... no more day counts...)

One night, Hiruma had brought Mamori out to dinner before going to a karaoke... place (ok, this is embarrassing but, what do you call that place??) When they arrived at her doorstep, she turned to him and smiled, saying, "Thanks Yoichi-kun. I had a great time." Kissing her, he grinned back and said, "Goodnight, cream puff!" That's what he'd been calling her lately. Hugging him, she replied his 'goodnight' with a giggle and went inside. Unknowingly to them, Mrs. Anezaki had been watching their little show of affection with ever-growing guilt before facing her daughter.

With a nervous smile, she asked, "How was your date?" Mamori put on a beaming smile and said, "It was wonderful, mom!" and was just about to go upstairs when she saw the look on her mother's face. "Is something wrong mom?" Her mother smiled at her and held her hands, guiding her to the sofa and sitting her down. "There's something I need to tell you, dear..."

* * *

_-Flashback-_

The first time Mrs. Anezaki met Hiruma, he wasn't the most polite person, but he was very friendly. Several days later, she had come home to see Mamori and Hiruma asleep on the couch with Mamori on top. Hiruma had his right arm thrown over his head and the other around her waist. Mamori's arms were around his neck while their legs lay in a tangled mass. An action movie was still playing on the television.

With a gentle smile playing on he lips, Mrs. Anezaki covered them with a blanket and switched off the TV. The next morning, Mamori was found sleeping on her own bed, the living room tidy and Hiruma gone. She approved of him quite fine...

_-End of Flashback-_

* * *

It was raining again and the whole team had assembled there. No words were spoken, no eye contact, no movement. Mamori still stood facing the team with her back facing the door, eyes hidden behind her fringe. Everyone's eyes were downcast, except for Hiruma. The fact that no one had bothered to switch on the lights made the mood even worse. The sound of the rain pounding against the window and roof sounded like the beat of drums. "Will you be coming back soon?" asked Monta suddenly, breaking the silence. "I'm not sure..." she replied, her voice quiet and not bothering to look up. No one did. "Will we ever see you again?" asked Suzuna, her eyes watering up. "I don't know..." wiping her eyes, she continued, "I'm sorry, I have to go home and pack... I'll miss you all!" she said, giving them all a fake, happy smile.

"Mamori-san-" started Yukimitsu, standing up. At that moment, Mamori ran out, slamming the door behind her. Everyone turned to look at the quarterback, who sat with his eyes hidden, silent as a statue. "Hiruma-san...?" called Sena. Without warning, he stood up and ran out the door, leaving it wide open as they watch him run into the rain.

* * *

"We're moving? To London? For how long?!" asked Mamori, her heart pounding. "I don't think we'll be coming back, dear," said her mother. "But... why?! Mom I..." "The business I'm in is moving there. They'll help us pay the living expenses. You'll gain new experiences, new friends,-" "But I'm happy here! You can't do this to me!" "I'm sorry, but getting a new job when you're my age isn't very easy. We don't have much choice." Mamori gave a loud sob and ran up to her room.

* * *

She ran through the rain, trying her best to hold back tears. She couldn't say goodbye to them, she just couldn't! "Mamori!" if she stopped, she wouldn't be able to go on. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and spun her around, taking hold of her shoulders and panting hard. She felt his eyes staring at her, but she couldn't... "Look at me," he ordered, only to be greeted with silence. "I said, look at me, Mamori!" he yelled, shaking her. When she did, he almost regretted it.

Gently, he pressed his lips against hers, only to be pushed away. "Please, don't make this any harder for me..." she pleaded, returning her sight to the ground. Reluctantly, he let her go and watched her run away. There he stood, arms limp at his sides. Without knowing, Mamori had actually buckled behind a tree and stayed there, hugging her knees. They aloud the sound of the rain to comfort them and the feel of the cool drops to ease them of the pain. But not a tear escaped from their eyes.

The team watched their leader from the clubhouse. They were all wet, but they couldnt care less. Kurita was about to go comfort him, but Komusubi held him back, "Musashi...go!" "He's right, you don't know how to comfort him. Even I'm not sure if I can... but let me try," and with that, he walked to his comrade. He rested a hand on his shoulder, "Hey..." "She's gone..." said Hiruma, "There's still a chance of her coming back..." replied Musashi, slightly unsure himself. "She pushed me away..." muttered Hiruma. Sighing, Musashi gave him a pat on the back and said, "Come on, you'll catch a cold out here. I'll make you your favorite coffee-" but Hiruma shrugged his hand off, "Just give me some time... I'll be fine..." and he walked away, hands in his pockets and his head down. He passed Mamori and he stopped momentarily, but kept walking as if he hadn't seen anything. At that moment, they both allowed the rain to mix with their tears.

"You-nii..."whispered Suzuna, tears flowing down her cheeks. As this was all happening, none of them seemed to notice that it was raining in the middle of winter.

* * *

Hiruma kept walking aimlessly through the streets, going wherever his legs brought him. His tears had long since dried, but the rain was still pounding and he felt empty inside. When he finally stopped, he found himself standing outside the 'Mornin' Cloud'. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by the ever cheerful Max. "Hey, sonny! Wipe yer feet, yer drippin' wet! Guess I'm not the only one who wasn't expecting rain! Where's yer lil' girlfriend?" Hiruma didn't even glance at him, but went straight to the back booth.

He sat with his arms folded on the table and rested his head on them, staring out at the rain. Several minutes later, Max had slipped in beside him and set a styrofoam cup filled with black coffee in front of him. "What happened, sonny? Did you to break up? That's impossible, I mean, you to are so-" "She's moving," cut in Hiruma, raising his head and wrapping his long fingers around the cup, warming his hands. "Oh... I see... she might not be coming back, is that it?" Hiruma stared at his reflection in the drink and saw that his eyes were still slightly red.

"I ran after her, but when I tried to kiss her, she pushed me away," he said, the urge to cry becoming stronger. Seeing that the thing the lad needed most now was a shoulder to lean on, Max put his arm around him and said in a comforting voice, "Now, now... don't be getting so worked up about that. I'm sure it's hard for her as well. Look here sonny," and Hiruma turned to look into Max's twinkling brown eyes, "she loves you just as much as you love her. And I swear, if she doesn't come back to you, she's either dead or crazy! She'll come back the 1st chance she hets, no matter who or what stands in her way!" Hiruma swallowed and nodded.

"Now understand this. I've never told anyone, but the reason I'm still a unmarried, is because I used to love someone, more than anything in the world, but she moved to Texas. I'm still waiting for her, and I'm not wasting my life while I'm doing that. I don't want you wasting yours, so buck up! And have faith in her, alright?" Nodding again, Hiruma managed a small smile and Max patted his shoulder and got up, going to the back of the shop. "Oh, and one more thing? The drink's on me," and with a wink, he left.

* * *

Mamori lay on her bed, staring at the photo Musashi had taken of them months ago, and the pictures they had taken together after that. With every photo she shifted through, the tear in her heart grew bigger until she couldn't stand it anymore, throwing the pictures across the room. She threw her suitcase onto the floor and collapsed onto her bed. "We're leaving tomorrow at five, so be ready," her mother's words echoed in her head and she got back up, resuming her packing. 'Yoichi...' she thought, wiping a tear from her eye.

* * *

The whole team and her friends had come to send her and her mother off, save one person. Mamori was crushed when he failed to show up. They had left some time ago and she and her mother were just about to go to the departure area when Mrs. Anezaki touched her daughter's arm, leading her eyes to a lone figure in the crowd, clad in black. "I know it's hard for you, Mamori, but you have to meet him, this last time," said her mother, taking her bag from her.

So, hesitantly, Mamori went to Hiruma and, avoiding eye contact, "Hey..." "I tried calling you last night," he said, looking right at her. "I'm sorry, I just didn't feel like talking to anyone last night," she replied. He took something from his pocket and took her hand, putting it there. "You left this back then," he said in monotone, removing his hand and revealing the two lockets. He opened the square one and she felt an arrow pierce her heart; it was a picture the two of them had taken in a park, hugging and smiling. He had changed it. Closing it, he picked it up and tied it around her neck, before tying the fish bone around his, "Let me know you won't forget me."

Unable to hold the urge any longer, she swung her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeper and more passionate then she ever had. He responded, fierce but gentle. All the other kisses in the world would have bowed down in disgrace. When they finally parted, they held each other tight as if their lives depended on how tight they could hug and he kissed her right under her ear. "I don't wanna let you go..." she moaned, a tear escaping from her eyes, which were squeezed shut. Pushing her far enough so that he could see her face.

Wiping away the tear, he kissed her again, this time, a short sweet kiss. Cupping her face in his hands, he gazed into her eyes and asked, "Come back to me, promise?" "Never, ever forget me, promise?" she asked, her eyes watering up again. And they shared one last kiss, savoring the taste and the memory. They let go of each other reluctantly and as she vanished in the crowd, he noticed it was raining again.

It was still raining as he stood on the roof of Deimon High School. He looked up and saw the plane Mamori had boarded soar above him. As she disappeared into the horizon, the rain slowed down, and the moment she was out of sight, snowflakes began to fall.

* * *

_Wow, I finished two chap's in one day! I know I made Hiruma look soft, but I couldn't help it! I devised this plan in my dream (literally...)! If you think this is the end, EEETTT!! WRONG!! At __least__ three more chapters til I let THIS baby finish! YAHA!!! Thank you for your support, reviewers!! R&R please XD_


	9. The Present

_Thanks for the reviews!! Some made me very, very happy_

* * *

_-End Flashback-_

_-London, Mamori-_

'It's been ten years since I left...' thought Mamori. In her hands, she held the silver locket. She had let her hair grow past her waist, parting on the left and the fringe cut so it ended half-way past her neck, dangling on both sides of her face. Plus, her English had attained a British accent. She lived in her own apartment and worked as the cashier in a bakery. At the moment, she was wearing a grey sweat-suit and had her hair tied in a loose braid.

_Ding Dong!_

Placing the locket on her living room table, she opened the door to see her closest friends, Elaine (silent 'e'). "Hye, Mamori! There's this new cafe nearby called the 'Red Clover', wanna go get some coffee?" "Alright, come on in, I'll go get ready," replied Mamori, stepping aside to allow entry. Elaine had shoulder-length red hair which she tied in a high ponytail and matching red eyes. She had a fringe and let two locks of hair dangle on the sides of her face. She was wearing a green long-sleeved T-shirt with white jeans, a black denim jacket and a white scarf. She was also carrying a cream purse and a see-through umbrella.

Taking of her jacket and leaning her umbrella against the wall behind the door, she made herself comfortable on Mamori's sofa. Mamori went into her room and changed into a white V-collared T-shirt, a short black skirt, a black brown scarf and white knee-high boots. She also slipped on a blue denim jacket and brought a white purse. Taking her wallet and cellphone, she went back to the living room, where Elaine stood, holding out her hand. "You forgot something," she said, smiling. Smiling back, Mamori put on the locket while Elaine pulled on her jacket. Grabbing their umbrellas, they headed out in the rain.

It was the middle of fall and the walkways were covered with brown leaves and twigs. There weren't many people inside the cafe, where they ordered milk coffees. As an extra thought, Mamori ordered herself a crossaint. When Elaine suggested they sat in the back booth, Mamori hesitated before agreeing. As they sat waiting for their orders, Mamori found herself staring out the window and unconsciously fiddling with her locket.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand brush against hers and when she turned, she saw Hiruma sitting opposite her. His hand held hers and there's was a sad look on his face, "Mamori..." "Yoi...chi?" she muttered, her eyes wide with shock. "Mamori!" Mamori heard Elaine's voice calling and she shook her head. When she opened her eyes, Elaine was back, her expression worried, "Are you okay?" Still in a daze, Mamori gave her a smile and nodded, "Yea, I'm fine..." but Elaine was obviously unconvinced.

"Don't think I haven't noticed throughout these years. Every time it rains you space out and start fiddling with your locket, I know this is more than a bad habit! Please tell me, we've been together for so long! Don't you trust me? We promised to not keep secrets from each other." The waiter came and served their food and beverage, "Your orders, ladies," he said, smiling at them. Mamori noticed he had black piercings on his ears and she felt a strange feeling in her stomach, something she felt every time she saw a man with earrings.

Mamori stared at her reflection in the coffee and wrapped her hands around them. When the waiter had returned back to the counter, she sighed, feeling Elaine's intense gaze upon her. "It was given... by someone precious to me..." she started, glancing for a split-second at her friend, "We first got together when it was raining, so..." she said, nodding her head sideways. "What happened to him?" "He's back in Japan, we... lost contact after I left," said Mamori, still staring at her reflection.

"Why don't you go back? You should have enough money by now," said Elaine, folding her arms on the table. "Because... I don't know what to do when I go back. How will I find him? Where will I live? How am I gonna earn a living? I don't know..." said Mamori, squeezing back tears. Looking up to face her friend, she opened her tear-brimmed eyes and said, "I want to... no, I need to go back! But... I don't know what to do!" she said, lowering her head and allowed her tears to fall into her drink.

Elaine rested a hand on Mamori's shoulder across the table and said in a soothing tone, "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure we'll find a way for you to go back. Come on, your coffee's getting cold," and smiling, they started discussing about other things, sipping on their drinks. They parted outside the cafe and Mamori spent the walk home contemplating about what had just passed... could she go back? But what was she going to do once she did? All these questions were giving her a headache...

* * *

_-Japan, Hiruma-_

He stood before the windows of his apartment, overlooking the city. It was raining and he had one hand in his pocket. The other hand was clutching the fish bone locket. His green eyes surveyed the city, sighing. He had gotten rid of the blond dye on his hair and it had returned to its dark state, changing his hairstyle so that it spiked downwards instead of up and parted on the left. His two purple rings were replaced with a silver stud on each ear. He was wearing a black round-collared short-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans.

He coached American football and, though it didn't really suit him, worked part-time as a fashion designer. 'At least it pays a lot,' he had thought. Walking to his mantle piece, he picked up an old photo in a silver frame. He traced the line of her jaw with his index finger before returning it to it's place. Suddenly, he heard his phone ringing and looked at the caller ID; Musashi.

"Hello?" "Hey, are you busy?" "...Nothing on my mind right now, what's up?" "Well, I haven't seen you for quite some time, how bout we meet at the cafe for lunch at noon and chat?" "Heh, why not. See ya," "Bye," and he hung up. Hiruma stared at his phone for a moment before going into his bedroom.

Grabbing a black leather jacket and his wallet, he went out.

* * *

"So, how's life going?" asked Musashi, sipping his Nescafe. Hiruma remained silent for a moment, staring at the sky through the window. "I've been thinking about something lately..." and he sipped his black coffee. "What would that be?" asked Musashi, folding his arms on the table and leaning forward, showing that he was interested. Closing his eyes, Hiruma sipped his tea and said, "... about going to London." The Nescafe Musashi had just sipped came back out across the table and he started coughing. Hiruma simply ignored him and calmly downed the rest of his coffee.

Once he stopped spluttering, Max called out from behind the counter, "You okay, sonny?" Waving at him and smiling sheepishly, Musashi called back, "Don't worry, just choked a bit! Hahaha!!" before turning to face Hiruma with a serious expression. "Are you sure about this, Hiruma? How are you going to find her? What are you gonna do once you get there?" Hiruma kept his eyes closed and thought about it for a moment before opening his eyes and gazing at a drop of coffee still inside the cup, where he could see his reflection.

"I'll look for information on her on the Internet, and if I find anything, I'll book a room in one of the hotels, then I'll find her," "How can you be so serious? Why don't you just try calling her? Contact her first..." "If I call her now... she might not answer," "What makes you so-" "I know her better than you do, Musashi. Make that clear," he said, looking straight into Musashi's eyes. Musashi wasn't fazed by the intensity, "Are you sure?" Hiruma turned to look outside the window, where the rain was starting to stop. A small smile creeping across his lips, he said, "Positive," and the first rays of sunshine broke out between the clouds, shining upon the city.

* * *

Several nights later, while Mamori was dreaming, she found herself in a dark, silent place. She wasn't frightened by it, for that's where she found herself every night. She knew who she was going to meet and she knew what was to be said between them. She felt warm arms wrap around her shoulders and hot breath down her neck. She reached up and rested her hands on his arms, which comforted her every time she dreamed. She felt his lips brush against her nape, whispering softly, "I'm coming for you, wait for me..." and then she would feel his lips against hers before waking up in the morning. "Yoichi-kun..." she muttered, holding onto her locket.

* * *

_This was short, I know, but... forgive me!! I didn't know what else to write..._

_Ok, I need you guys to vote! Who should go abroad? Hiruma or Mamori?? Come on, I need support! R&R!!! YAHA!!!_


	10. The Reunion

_Yes, I reposted this chapter, because I needed to do a few changes in this chapter._

_To Scrunchy and zoofreak, sorry, but I wasn't able to use your ideas. They were good ideas but no matter how I looked at them, there were problems._

_To Luna Addictus? Thanks for the praise! You sent me onto cloud 9! Maybe even higher!! Same goes for Birdi 13 in da house! Thank you so much!_

_And lastly to all my so-far-still-faithful readers, thank you for your support so far!_

_You guys are my inspiration!! (cries with overwhelming joy) Enjoy this chapter and those coming!!_

_P.S.: the sentences in brackets are some stupid things I had to put in.  
**blabla:** some other person_

_blabla: me! a.k.a. D.C._

_P.S.S.: The places mentioned in this chapter and those after are fictional, so please don't take much notice. _

* * *

Hiruma stared at his laptop, a number of windows showing various websites. All the information he could dig up was of her while she in Japan. Taking a sip of his coffee, he pushed his hair back (his sexy… hot hair…**D.C., pull yourself together!!! **Huh? Wha?! **Get on with it!!** Oh yea! Sorry bout that!) and sighed before resuming his typing… a.k.a. hacking After half an hour later, a new window popped up and a demonic grin spread across his face before he grabbed his jacket and went out. 'I'm sure I can still get a flight ticket at this time… exactly 3:27a.m.,' he thought, little black book safely in his pocket. 'I haven't used this in _quite _some time.'

* * *

"Er, Mam? I can give you change if yo-" "No, no, young lady. I have quite sum of small change in here. I'm sure I have a penny somewhere..." An old lady was insisting on paying the exact amount and was looking for a single penny in her humongous purse. It must have been twenty minutes by then and Mamori would have strangled the old lad had she not been the polite person she was. She heard the bell above the bakery door jingle and she looked up cheerfully to see her mother. "Hi, dear. I was wondering if you had some time-" she was cut short when she saw her daughter frantically pointing at the old lady and mouthing the words, 'Help me!' Her mother sneaked up behind the unsuspecting woman and slid a penny onto the counter. "Oh, look! There's penny right there!" faked Mamori. "Ah, so there is! I told you I had one somewhere!" 

When the old lady left, Mamori and her mother occupied the nearest empty table and chatted for a bit. "So what brings you here?" Mamori asked, finally. "Well," Mrs. Anezaki didn't break eye contact with her daughter as she took a slip of paper from her pocket and placed it right in front of Mamori. "Elaine called me a few days ago and she told me about your problem. If you miss him that much, you should go back to him. Don't torture yourself this way, dear!"

"But, Mom!" Mrs. Anezaki rested a hand on her daughter's, "I know you need time to think, so the flight's in a week. Whatever you choose, I hope it's the right thing," kissing Mamori's forehead, she gave her an encouraging smile before leaving the bakery. Mamori pocketed the ticket before returning to her duty as a cashier. She was about to greet the next person when she saw the same old lady, "Can I help you, mam?" 'Please, no… please, no!' "How much is a slice of chocolate cake?" "$1.99…" (It's supposed to be pounds, but I can't get the symbol…) "Oh, I'm sure I have four pennies in here somewhere…" 'Lord, save me!'

* * *

Day 1 (Yes, the day counts have once again begun! Muahahahaha!!!)

"You're what?!" (there's a lot of yelling in this chapter, don't you think?) Musashi was unlucky to have Kurita behind him instead of Yukimitsu, who was walking beside him… was. His cellphone escaped mishap, but his sudden stop caused him to get… er… squashed (?). Managing to pull his head out, "You're boarding the plane now? Already?!" "Keep your stubbles on, fucking old man!" "But I thought you only just got the tickets this morning!" "So?" Hiruma's voice was so calm and he stated it so matter-of-factly that Musashi could've screamed his head of had he not been so cool.

"Couldn't you have warned us fir-?" "Whoa, my flight's here. See ya in a week!" "Hiruma!" But he had hung up. 'This guy…' he sighed and got up… that is, he tried to. Yukimitsu was still attempting to push Kurita off him, and he had just realized the pressure on him, 'Here comes the pain!'

* * *

Hiruma was dozing in his window seat when he was awoken by the stewardess, "Excuse me, sir, we'll be landing soon. We need all the passengers to buckle up." Hiruma saw the sun shining outside and nodded thanks. He had gone through the past couple of hours with thinning patience. There was a snoring fat man who was full of gas and leaned his chair a _wee_ bit too far back in front of him and a lady with a crying baby behind him. After the baby discovered him, he was lucky he wasn't bald and that his ears were still intact… such sweet memories. 

When he finally left the airport, he swore he saw a bright light and a choir singing somewhere in the back… He rode a taxi to a hotel where he had booked a room before slumping onto his bed. 'Peace… that's exactly what I need right now,' he thought… thought. Loud music, laughter, screams and crashes exploded from upstairs and the renovators just began fixing the new shelves in the next room… on the dividing wall… with hammers. 'Fuck,' that was all Hiruma could think as he hurriedly changed into a black turtleneck, dark blue denim jeans, and black and white sneakers, slipping on his locket before grabbing his favorite black jacket and sunglasses and heading out (for those wondering, he changed his socks, okay?).

As a mode of transportation, he was going to ride (shiver dare I say it?) the Tube. He found himself seated between a man with a very, very spoilt child and a head-banging teenager listening to some heavy rock on his iPod (I shall let you imagine the torture he had to go through) added with the ever-growing pain in his backside. He arrived in Trafalgar Square sometime after and would have kissed the ground had there not been a piece of dog crap right in front of him… hehe. 'I'll start looking here...,' he thought, and so, he began his search with the help of a map. 'According to the address I obtained, she used to live in an apartment around here... maybe the current residents could tell me where she is now,' so he knocked on the oak door. A friendly looking old lady opened the door and smiled up at him (can you guess who? wink), 'How can I help you, young man?' Hiruma gave her his friendly smile (the one he used during the Sport's Day, the lady doesn't know, right?) and said, "Good evening, mam. I'm an old friend of Ms. Mamori Anezaki. She used to live here and I was wondering if you knew where she's living now." "Oh, yes, I know her. Such a sweet little thing, she is. I don't know where she's living now, but she works in a bakery called... what was it... ah yes, 'Sunny Cottage Bakery' in Covent Garden. Why don't you come in for a moment, you look tired! I have some milk and cookies" "No, its okay! Thank you, mam." "My pleasure, young man. Drop by if you have time!" "Sure, have a nice day!" 'As if...' he thought, waving to the old lady. He dropped the 'happy-smiley' act as soon as he was sure she couldn't see him. 'Such a nice young man...' thought the old lady, still smiling and closing the door.

But at that time, the sun was setting. 'The store would probably be closed by the time I get there... I'll check it out tomorrow...' so with determination that he find her the next day, he went back to the hotel.

* * *

Day 2

He could hear the songs of the twittering birds and soft rays of sunshine lighted the room. A gentle breeze played with his dark locks and autumn leaves drifted by the window. Hiruma gazed at the swaying branches of the tree outside his window ... until he realized something.

'Since when was there a tree outside my window?' _Strike One!_

'I usually wake up at dawn, its almost noon!' _Strike Two!_

Hiruma sat up and looked around incredulously, 'This isn't my room!!'_ Strike Three! You're out!!_

"Oh right... I'm in London. It must be jet lag..." he said aloud (for an intelligent person, that took him _quite _some time, don't you think?).

Hiruma went to the bathroom to wash his face (yes, that includes bathing, using the toilet and brushing his teeth. I know _someone_ will be asking) before changing into another black turtleneck with 3/4 white sleeves and brown jeans (and yes, Scrunchy. He changed hid socks and his undies, okay?). Slipping on his sneakers and black shades, he grabbed his favourite jacket and went out.

* * *

Hiruma was lucky the Tube wasn't so full when he got in. But when he got to the bakery, the cashier told him that Mamori was off-duty that day. Slightly dispirited, Hiruma settled on a bench and watched a trio playing violins in a square. A small smile played on his lips as he let the music relax him. Unknown to him, the cashier, Matt, was watching him from behind the glass window. He had shoulder-length black hair which parted on the right and covered his left eye (if you're wondering, it's like Ichimoku Ren's from Jigoku Shoujo). His eyes were a dark shade of hazel and he had a white stud on each ear (I'm crazy about guys with piercings! X3). 'Should I tell him?' he thought. When he saw Hiruma stand up, he asked his co-worker to take over his job for a moment and went out to him. "Sir?" Hiruma turned to face him with a slightly confused expression, "Can I help you?" "She lives in Kilburn Park, not so far from here." Hiruma raised an eyebrow, but kept listening.

* * *

Before heading over to the address he had obtained, he needed to wake himself up with some coffee, he may be a demon, but he still suffered from jet lag (though not noticeably). Plus, he was a little hungry. 'Red Clover, huh?' he thought, and going into the first café he could see and ordering himself a cup of sweet, sweet black coffee (okay, if I said 'bitter, bitter' it would be just strange now wouldn't it?) along with a single butter crossaint (I love crossaints, don't you?) before relaxing in one of the booths, the soft music in the back soothing his tense mind. He put his jacket beside him and rested his shades on his head before sipping his relaxing coffee… tried to that is. He nearly scorched his throat and had it not been to the fact that he never even flinched in pain, he would've have reacted by dropping the cup and scorching his legs as well. Instead, he gently blew the surface of the drink and placed the cup back on the counter. He picked up the crossaint and began eating. 

He was staring out the window, long fingers playing with the steam emitting from the beverage ran when a blue eyed blond slid into the seat opposing him, "Hey, I know everyone who comes here, and you look new. Live nearby?" Hiruma gave her a quick glance and chose to ignore her, wrapping a hand around his cup to check its heat, still hot. The girl was wearing a light blue round-collared sleeveless under a white hoodie with matching tracks and white sneakers. Her hair went down to her waist and her nails were painted a soft pink. She also wore a white wristband with a light blue stripe around it on her right wrist. The girl didn't seem to mind the fact that she was being ignored and continued asking, "You a tourist? What's your name?" Silence. "Okay, Frostbite, just answer this then. Why are you here?"

Hiruma downed the entire cup of now warm coffee with one swig before looking at her straight in the eyes, "I'm looking for someone," then he grabbed his jacket, pulled his shades over his eyes and left. 'Sexy…' she thought, noting his tall, not-so-muscular figure as he turned a corner and vanish. (I agree with the blond babe, Hiruma is adorable!! **Shut up and get on with it.**)

* * *

Elaine had just come back from the gym and come out of the shower in her dressing gown and a towel wrapped around her head like a turban when she heard her phone ring, "Hello?" "Hi, Elaine? Its me, Nikki! You have no idea who I met in the Red Clover!!" came a sing-song voice. Sitting in front of her vanity mirror, Elaine set the phone on loud-speaker before wiping her hair and brushing it, "Who, a new date? What did he look like?" "No, but he was 100 hot! He must have been a foreigner…" 

Elaine began applying some mascara and lipstick on, "Continue, I'm still listening." "For one thing, he seems to have a thing for black. He had high cheekbones, an angular face and I swear he had pointed ears! Even his nose was pointy, but it made him look good," Elaine paused for a moment, 'These descriptions sound familiar, like Mamori's boyfriend or something,' "Interesting, anything else?" Nikki seemed all too eager to keep going, "He had these stylish studs on and the sexiest green eyes I have ever seen! Not to mention a hot bod! Hehehe…" Nikki was giggling herself silly on the other line when Elaine asked another question, 'I have to be sure!' "What color was his hair?"

"Hm… It was jet black and seemed ruffled and windswept. I'd do anything to get my hands on him! He looks like the sort of guy who only appears once in a million years, I think!" Elaine had pulled on a white top and a short denim skirt when she was thinking, 'Mamori said her boyfriend dyed his hair blond, he might have changed it… I have to tell her!' She returned the speaker to 'normal' before speaking right into the mouthpiece, "Hey, Nikki? I need to call Mamori about something, catch you later! By the way, give it up, the dude's already taken," "Wait, what? Elaine! Don't you dare hang up on me!!" _Beep…beep…beep…_'Sorry, Nikki. Its for your own good,' she thought, dialing Mamori.

"Hello?"

"Mamori! There's something I need to tell you, Nikki found someone I think you'd be interested in!"

* * *

Hiruma was walking down a fairly-busy street, humming a tune he had heard in the taxi earlier, enjoying the change of atmosphere and scenery. He reached a semi-large pool and gazed at his reflection inside, where hundreds of glittering coins lay scattered. Keeping his left hand in his pocket, he pulled a penny from his right pocket and tossed it in, 'Let me find her….' When the ripples subsided, he saw an addition to the reflections in the pond. 

He turned in surprise (not that he showed all of it) to see a girl with long auburn hair and blue eyes standing beside him. She was wearing a light green V-collared long-sleeved T-shirt over a soft yellow undershirt and white slacks. A dark blue denim (I love denim!) jacket kept her warm and she wore cream sandals, but what caught his eyes was her silver locket, hanging from her neck by a black string. She was smiling gently at the fountain, her eyes glistening with the light reflecting of the rippling waters. When she finally looked at him, no words were said.

* * *

_By the way, for those who don't know? The Tube is the type of underground train they use in London. It's damn boring cuz there's nothing to see outside the windows, but the experience was fun! XD_

_No, Hiruma will never find his sunglasses, never._

_To any British people reading this chapter, please don't take offense! I wanted this chapter to be a bit funny cuz I was bored!_

_**Re-post8/11/07**_

_Some readers were unsatisfied by the old version, and tell you the truth, I wasn't satisfied with it either. Sorry for the inconvenience!  
_


	11. Friends

_So sorry about replacing __the last chapter, but it was interfering with the making of this one. Enjoy!_

* * *

Mamori reached up and took off his sunglasses, gazing into the endless depths of the oceans of green. He could see his own eyes reflected in her clear blue ones as he brushed a hand against her cheek. A small smile showed on his face, "I found you."

She threw her arms around his neck and he rested his around hers. She allowed his sunglasses to fall, not hearing the clatter it made once it hit the pavement. "You came..." she said, barely over a whisper as she snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. A tear escaped her eye and he wiped it away with her thumb. They were alone in the park, everyone else had gone home, for ominous dark clouds loomed above, sending everything into shadows.

They didn't feel the wind as it whipped the leaves around them, nor did they hear the sound of distant thunder as they held on to each for warmth. Neither did they feel the cold drops of rain falling as their lips made contact, and they shared a deep, passionate kiss, deeper than any before. She could've melted against him because the warmth she had been craving for so long now seemed to burn against her skin. And she loved it. Her hands gripped his dark hair and he hugged her closer to him.

The rain beat down harder as he pulled away. The wind blew harder as their hands intertwined and she guided him home.

* * *

Mamori lay several towels on her couch while Hiruma lighted a fire. Then, with their jackets hanging of her wooden chairs' backs, they lay on the couch facing the fire. Hiruma had an arm around her shoulders and she was resting his head on his. He was gently stroking her hair and she had her arms wrapped around his waist.

"I really missed you," "Ceh. You're still fucking annoying. Can't stay quiet for more than a minute, can you?" Mamori pinched his side and he let out a bark of laughter. Hiruma turned to face her and pushed her back a bit so he could see her better. "At least you got a new hairstyle, the last one looked like a wet mop," he said, in a mocking tone. Mamori glared at him and punched his chest, only to have him start laughing again. But a grin spread across his lips, "Well you're one to talk! You used to look like a lightning bolt just hit you! If my friend didn't meet you and called, I wouldn't have had any idea who you'd be!" "Oh yeah? I bet you're still a cream puff eating monster, aren't you?"

Mamori's averted her eyes and leaned back against the sofa, crossing her arms, "Sadly, they don't have those here..." That got him. He went silent for a moment before he raised an eyebrow, sneer returning to his face, "Then what have you been striving on, marshmallows?!" Mamori couldn't hold the smile back and just laughed, throwing a pillow at his face. That started a pillow fight which ended when a stray pillow hit a flower vase and it broke. "Whoops..." "You really need to practice your aim, fucking manager," "Don't call me that! Besides, I'm not your manager anymore!" He grinned at her and kissed her forehead, "You'll always be my fucking manager, fucking manager." She couldn't help smiling.

"You're gonna help me replace that, you know."

* * *

They had dinner at some Italian restaurant before Hiruma walked her home. On the way back to the hotel (which was actually in walking distance, something he cursed himself for not knowing), Hiruma sighed and thought, 'This was a good day,' breathing in the cool night air. When he reached his hotel bedroom, all the exhaustion he had gone through that day hit him like a huge tidal wave and he fell asleep on his bed without bothering to take of his shoes or jacket.

A small figure of Devilbat Junior suddenly popped up and said, "Snugglely Bugglely Wugglely!! Don't you think so?" The bigger Devilbat popped up as well and said, "Aw... Yoichi-chan is all tired and he's shweeping wike a widdle baby... so cute!" They vanished together and Hiruma raised head and looked around groggily. "Something's wrong with me..." he wondered aloud, before dropping his head back on the pillow and falling asleep... again.

Only the next morning did he realize his favorite pair of shades were missing.

* * *

Day 3

"Aw... he looks so cute!!"

'Damn Devilbats...'

"Wow, no wonder you never got together with anyone! He's sexy!"

'Wha?!'

"Shh!! Don't wake him up!"

"You're really lucky... I'll never get a boyfriend this hot..."

'Okay, now that's just strange...'

"That's cuz you're a total flirt." giggles

'Wait a minute... Devilbats don't giggle...'

Hiruma snapped his eyes open to see a blond, a red-head and Mamori's faces above him, all grinning, "Morning Yoichi!"

* * *

A pair of doves were perched peacefully on the branch of a tree outside a window... There was a slight breeze that day and the sun shone brightly. The songs of the morning birds echoed throughout the town...

"WAAARGH!!!"

All the birds within 10 miles flew away in panic and people rushed to their windows, expecting a robbery somewhere, when back in a certain hotel...

* * *

Hiruma had fallen of his bed and had his back against the wall, breathing hard. His eyes were still wide open from shock and the three girls were laughing out loud.

"We did knock, Hiruma," said the red-head.

"Yea, Frostbite! Chill out!" said the blond, that sent them laughing again.

He regained his composure and frowned, then crossed his arms and glared at the trio, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Aww, don't be mad Yoichi-kun. You didn't answer your cellphone and your front door was open so we let ourselves in!" said Mamori, smiling at him sweetly. A vein popped on his temple and he continued glowering at them, which sent them laughing again.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" called a guy's voice from outside. "I thought you were just gonna wake him up!" the voice became steadily louder as he walked to the door and opened it, stepping in. Hiruma raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, for lo and behold; it was Matt. "Hey!" he greeted Hiruma cheerfully, with a smile much like the one he used on that old lady. "Hey," Hiruma replied in monotone and kept his arms crossed, looking away. "Hey, don't get all pouty, Frostbite! We just said 'good morning', right?" said Nikki. "Ceh, you think I didn't hear what you said before that?" Nikki and Elaine blushed tomato red and started giggling nervously, "Oh, you heard that?" asked Elaine, avoiding eye contact.

"Okay, guys. I think Yoichi needs to change, right?" Mamori added the last partlooking at Hiruma for support. "Just get out," he replied, still not looking at them. Before Matt went out, he said in a hushed voice, "Hey, be glad you weren't wearing your PJs... or your boxers." Hiruma would have retorted had the door not been closed.

* * *

They brought Hiruma sight-seeing that day, showing him the Burmingham Palace, Big Ben, Notredame (spelling?) and other popular tourist spots, including the London Dungeon; that got laughs out of everybody, since no one had been there before. Nikki was pale as anything by the time they got out.

They had lunch at McDonalds then went for a movie... a horror movie. Nikki didn't want to go, but _someone_ wasn't gonna let her go that easily, no... _someone_ was still a little sour... "Looks like Barbie's afraid of some moving pictures, is that it?" "Oh, can it Frostbite!" "F-" Hiruma was just about to curse her when Mamori clamped a hand over his mouth, "Yoichi, calm down. Come on, Nikki! It'll be fun!" That's what they thought.

* * *

-_In the cinemas_; seating from left: Matt, Nikki, Elaine (Nikki insisted on sitting between them), Mamori, Hiruma-

Mamori clung onto Hiruma's arm as if her life depended on it and squealed when the ghost appeared. He let out a bark of laughter and pulled his arm away from her,"I didn't know you got scared so easily," but before she could protest, he wrapped it around her shoulders. She gave him a soft smile before sliding he arms around his slim waist.

On the other hand...

"Um, Matt? Are you okay?" "I-I-I'm f-f-fine! W-Wh-Why's d-d-d'you ask-k-k??" "Because you're clinging to me like you're gonna be attacked by a drunken lunatic, that's why."

The movie wasn't _that_ scary, but Matt had his arms wrapped around Nikki's neck like a little boy holding onto his mother because she was closest living person that he knew, his eyes wide open in fear. Elaine laughed away beside her, "He's afraid of horror movies, but he won't admit it, he's _too cool__!"_

* * *

When the movie was over, Mamori was holding onto Hiruma's right arm and he had his white hoodie slung over his other shoulder casually. They faced the other three, "So, where're we going next?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mamori gave them a secret wink, one Hiruma didn't see. (now, I'm winking at you, one _they_ do not see... **You're winking a lot lately, do you have something in your eye? **smiles shut up.)

"We'll go and have dinner, then why don't we check out this new night club?" suggested Matt. Hiruma shrugged, "Sure, why not?" and turned to walk with Mamori first.

All four of smiled a secret smile. 'Let's see if you can dance.'

* * *

_faints_

_I know it's short and most of you have probably read most of it but, it's finally done!! I'm gonna die_

_The line Hiruma said after the kissed her forehead, I borrowed it from this story...but I forgot what it was... sorry!  
_

_Please note, I'm not a dirty thinker so don't expect... too much. Next chapter, 'Dance With Me'! Please R&R!!_


	12. Dance With Me

_Thanks for reviewing I'm glad no one got mad about the chapter__ changing... grins sheepishly_

_Hey, has anyone read the latest chapter of ES21 online? They're gonna kill Hiruma!! NOO!!!_

_Remember, any places mentioned in here are __not real__On__ with the show! Story! Whatever!_

* * *

Matt was leading them, followed by Nikki and Elaine, who were chatting and laughing away happily, followed by Hiruma and Mamori. Mamori was still holding onto Hiruma's arm, "You better not bring it out, Yoichi-kun," she said suddenly, but kept her voice low so no one else could hear. There was no eye contact, they kept their eyes forward, "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, adopting an innocent tone (oh, please... who'll fall for that, right?)

Mamori slid an arm around his waist and grabbed hold of his hoodie, "I know what's in the inside pocket, Yoichi-kun. You better not bring it out," she said, returning her hold to his arm. "Hmph," "If you bring it out, I'm not going out with you anymore." 'Ouch,' he thought, but remained silent. Mamori looked up at him for a fleeting moment then said, "When you lot get a little closer, I'll let you bring it out, but only occasionally, alright?" "..." "Yoichi!" "I'm bringing it out when I want, there's no point arguing with me and you know it," he said in a lazy tone. "We're here!" called Matt, catching their attention. They were standing outside a club called 'Night Palm', where they could hear the loud beating music.

They entered to be greeted with flashing lights, a crowded dance floor, and loud laughter. They settled in one of the vacant booths and ordered drinks. Elaine and Hiruma sat by the window, Mamori sat beside Hiruma and Nikki and Matt sat beside Elaine. Elaine started talking about her latest trip to Egypt while Hiruma let his thoughts wonder, 'Why the heck are we here? Couldn't they just go home after dinner?'

Hiruma propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his open palm, pretending to listen. He found himself staring out unblinkingly the window, watching the people passing by. He didn't here the question directed to him until Mamori blew into his ear. Shivers ran up and down his spine, but you don't expect him to show it, do you? He simply frowned, "What?"

"Nikki was asking you something," said Mamori, nodding towards said person. Hiruma raised an eyebrow at her with a bored expression, "Well?"

She had a smile on her face when she repeated the question, "Do you know how to dance?" Hiruma rolled his eyes and folded his arms and stated matter-of-factly, "Everyone knows how to dance, its just a matter of whether that person knows some good moves or not. Plus, said person should know how to put together said moves for said song." The other four looked at each other before returning their gazes to the lanky dude. "So can you?" asked Elaine. Hiruma stared straight into her eyes, searching or clues, whatever they were, "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I was just wondering if you can dance. Guess not!" Elaine said the last two words in a sing song voice and smiled smugly at him. He narrowed his cat-like eyes, "Who says?" Nikki leaned forward on the table and said, "Then show us. Why don't you take Mamori and-" "No," "Why not?" "I don't like dancing," "You mean you _can't_ dance," "I mean I _don't want_ to," "And why not? "It's a waste of time and energy," "A.K.A., you can't dance," Hiruma suddenly pulled out a handgun from god-knows-where and pointed it straight at her face, a dark expression on his face. Nikki, Elaine and Matt's faces went pale as their eyes scanned the the shiny surface of the weapon.

"It seems Mamori forgot to tell you a piece of information about me. Don't cross the line if you don't have the guts, Barbie," he said, twirling the gun in his hand before slipping it into his hoodie. Mamori sighed and covered her face with her hands, "You're never gonna change..." she mumbled. Hiruma grinned and whispered into her ear, "You're lucky I didn't pull the trigger."

Mamori whipped her head around and glared at him before turning to face Matt, "Hey Matt, wanna dance?" He was still kinda pale, but he smiled back and said, "Sure, why not?" Before Mamori went to the dance floor, she leaned in and whispered something to Hiruma, "Tell you the truth, I always thought Matt's eyes were sexy," but before Hiruma could retort, Mamori was gone.

After the regaining their composure, Nikki and Elaine started talking about some guy Nikki met at the mall. Hiruma tried to occupy his mind by looking out the window again, but he soon found himself scanning the crowd for Mamori and Matt. He caught sight of them in the middle of the dance floor. Dancing. Together. He did _not_ like what he was seeing.

Matt was holding Mamori's hand and twirling her around, then Mamori placed her left hand on his shoulder as they danced away. Hiruma didn't like the wide smiles they had on their faces. No, he didn't like it at all. He would have shot the guy, but when he reached for it, it was gone, 'Fucking woman,' he thought, throwing it back. Averting his eyes, Hiruma did his best to ignore them... until;

"Thinking of something?" Hiruma turned to see Elaine and Nikki watching him intently. "What?" he asked, reverting his eyes to the windows. "He's got your girl man, you're not gonna do anything about it?" asked Elaine, raising an eyebrow. "..." "Oh my god! I think he just grabbed her ass!" "What?!" Hiruma spun around in disbelief, only to be laughed at, "Just kidding!" He could feel the anger bubbling inside him, but he continued to glower out the window.

"You know, if you're so jealous you should go get her ba-" "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone," "All right, but if they get together its your loss!" The two continued with their conversation and Hiruma found himself gazing at the reflection of his emerald eyes on the glass (should it be 'on' or 'in'?). _I always thought Matt's eyes were sexy_. He narrowed his eyes as he turned to watch them again.

Mamori was facing him, her arms above her head as she shook her hips to the beat. Hiruma felt as if everything was in slow motion as he moved his eyes from her alluring ones to her seducing mouth, down to her slender waist and to her curvy legs. He could hear every beat as if it were inside his head as he returned his gaze to her eyes. Her mouth was a smile as she mouthed the lyrics of the song.

_Come on, Yoichi. You know you want her._ I'm not falling for her. _You came all the way to London to see her, you're can't fall any further._ She wants me to go to her, I'm not gonna do what she wants me to._ Dude, he's got an arm around her waist. _What?! Hiruma turned snapped out of his daze to see Mamori looking at Matt... exactly the way she looked at him when they were alone, smiling _his_ smile. He found himself breathing deeply, attempting to calm his beating heart. And then, Matt kissed Mamori. Not on the lips, just a peck on the cheek, but neverthless, it was a kiss.

If Hiruma had been a bomb, his fuse just went out. And I mean, _tick_, _tick_, _BOOM!_

Hiruma got up so suddenly, Elaine and Nikki jumped up in surprise. When he walked into the crowd, they sat back down and said, "This is gonna be interesting."

* * *

_Woah... I know that was kinda short but I like it! XD_


	13. Gifts

_I see __some__ people are quite pissed o__f__f by the suspense XD MUAHAHAHAHA!!! Song: Into the Night by Santana ft. Chad Kroeger  
_

* * *

Hiruma weaved through the crowd of dancing people and grabbed Mamori's arm, "Anezaki, we're leaving," he stated with a scowl. Mamori gave him a blank expression and pulled her arm away, then, she leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips on his left ear, "Persuade me." He whispered back in the same manner, "Don't try me, fucking woman." She grinned, breathing down his neck, "Then I won't leave." She stepped back and gazed at him, waiting for his next move. She knew he had more guns. 

Hiruma glowered for a moment before shouting, "Yo, DJ! Crank it up!"

_Like a gift from the heavens_

_It was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from hell_

Then, it started with small moves, which they continuously countered without missing a beat. It started to progress as their moves extended, catching the eyes of the other dancers.

_She had fire in her soul_

_It__ was easy to see_

How _the devil h__imself could be pulled out of me_

Hiruma's moves were quick and spicy while Mamori's were slow and sultry, never breaking eye contact. They circled each other like two lions ready to pounce. The crowd backed away, creating a circle to watch.

_There were drums in the air as she started to dance_

_Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands and we sang_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And the voices rang like the angels sang, singin'_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And we danced off into the night_

_And we danced off into the night_

They didn't stop, moving to the beat of the music, the intensity increasing as their moves increased in complexity. The spun and twisted, trying to out-dance the other. They were sweating with the heat and the crowd was rooting for.

_Every piece__ to the puzzle it falls into place_

_You could how we felt from the look on our faces_

_We__ were__ spinning in circles __with the moon in our eyes_

_No more room left to move in between you and I_

_We forgot where we were and __we __lost track of time_

_And we sang t__o the wind as we danced through__ the nigh__t, and we sang_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And the voices rang like the angels sang, singin'_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And we danced off into the night_

_And we danced off into the night_

_And we danced off into the night_

During the guitar solo, they could hear what the other thought. Hiruma had a sneer on his face, 'Sugar-rush ending?' Mamori gave him a smug grin, 'Out of caffeine?' Hiruma stood tall and reached out a hand, which she took.

_Like a gift from the heavens_

_It was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from hell_

_She had fire in her soul_

_It __was easy to see_

_Ho__w__ the devil himself could be pulled out of me_

_There were drums in the air as she started to dance_

_Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands and we sang_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And the voices rang like the angels sang and singin'_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And we danced off into the night_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And the voices rang like the angels sang and singin'_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And we danced off into the night_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way, singin'_

_A-yo-way-a-way-yo-way_

_And we danced off into the night_

When the music was about to end, Hiruma twirled her, then to everyone's surprise, lifted her by the waist, spun her around his slim figure, caught her so that their noses touched, then leaned her backwards, just as the drum hit its last beat. "Game Over." Hiruma had a smug sneer on his face as he pulled Mamori back up and led her back to the table, his arm around her waist. The crowd cheered and clapped as they made way for them. Matt had joined Elaine and Nikki and they were clapping along, wide smiles on their faces.

Once they settled back into their seats, Hiruma sipped on his plain water, still keeping his arm protectively around his girlfriend's waist. "Wow, Hiruma! You really _can_ dance! You really had us there!" gushed Nikki, lacing her fingers and resting her chin on them. Hiruma leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed, ignoring the noise. "If you're not too busy, can you teach me some moves?" asked Elaine. "Fuck no," came Hiruma's curt reply. "Still sour, Yoichi?" teased Matt.

Mamori turned to face Hiruma, gazing at his closed eyes for a few moments, then she whispered to him, "Actually, Yoichi-kun... Matt's going out with Elaine." In his mind, 'I knew they were planning something against me.'

* * *

Hiruma walked Mamori home, giving her a sweet kiss goodnight. But before he left, Mamori called back out to him. He glanced back and gave her a questioning look, "You have the sexiest eyes."

* * *

Day 4 

His legs felt sore. His eyes were heavy. His head throbbed to last night's beat. Added together, he didn't want to get up.

He raised his head and gazed out the window; it was already morning. He sighed and pushed himself off the bed, and dragged himself to the bathroom.

Hiruma dressed himself in a long-sleeved black T-shirt and matching black pants. He made himself a few slices of toast before wrapping a white scarf around his neck and going out.

* * *

_Rrriiinng..._

_Rrriiinng..._

_Rrriii-!!_

"Hello, Mamori speaking!" "I know who the fuck's speaking, are you fucking home?" Mamori sighed and leaned back on her armchair. She had been reading a novel called 'Vanished' by Karen Robards, but she found it a bit boring. "Yes, Yoichi. What's up?" "Are you fucking busy today?" "A bit, I need to be at the bakery in half an hour. What's on your agenda?" "Well, since I'm a fucking tourist here, might as well get some fucking souvenirs." Mamori giggled at the thought of Hiruma shopping and said, "Well, have fun! I need to get going. See you at seven?" "I'm picking you up at the store." "Alright, six then. Love you!" "Yea, whatever."

Mamori smiled as he hung up. He never said those three words unless they were alone together. She got up from her comfortable seat and took down her coat.

* * *

Hiruma was sitting on a bench outside a shop, listening to the street performer's music before him. His face had a bored expression, but he was laughing inside. He had dropped by his hotel to leave the things he had bought for himself and the ex-Devilbats. He even dropped by the old lady's house to give her a 'thank you' gift (I'll leave the imaginating to you). He had his hands in his pockets and found himself staring at the street performer's ; it was empty. It was obvious that the girl was a homeless, wearing nothing but a baggy T-shirt and torn pants. She didn't have any shoes. All she had was the guitar she was playing, but she didn't seem to know much techniques. 

Hiruma glanced at the shops behind him, 'Hm...'

* * *

Jennifer was sitting outside the park, facing the shops. Again, she wasn't getting any money. Her parents had died when their home was set on fire. All she had was her guitar, but she only knew the basics. She was left homeless with no family and broke. She was only twelve, after all. It was getting cold and she was desperate for food. The only person who seemed to pay attention to her was this foreign looking man, sitting on a bench, but he had left. She wanted to cry. 'I should just sell this thing,' she thought, staring at her guitar. 

She stopped playing and set it aside, hugging her knees to herself. Suddenly, someone set dropped a book in front of her, 'Guitar Techniques: Self-learning'. She looked up to see the man, standing dark and handsome before her. She didn't hide the blush creeping on her cheeks. He went down on one knee and handed her a brown paper bag; it contained a cup of hot cocoa and a crossaint. He dropped a small pouch into her can before standing up. A small smile playing on his handsome face, he said, "Don't give up," then he walked away.

Jennifer felt warm inside as she sipped the cup of cocoa. She opened the pouch and peered inside; she felt her heart skip a beat as she saw a thick wad of bills and a note, 'Good luck, kid. You'll need it –The Devil'. She felt a hot streak down her cheek as she hugged the gifts to herself. He may be the devil, but he was the angel who had blessed her with hope. "Thank you..."

* * *

Hiruma arrived just in time to see Mamori pulling on her coat. "Hey," he greeted. Mamori linked arms with him and they walked back to her house. She got changed before they went for dinner at Pizza Hut. After that, they went for a walk. Sometime later, they found themselves standing on the path leading to the fountain where they were first reunited. Mamori looked up at Hiruma, he glanced down at her and gave her grin. Together they walked, sitting on the edge of the fountain . They gazed at the stars, moonlight bathing them and their surroundings. Hiruma had his hand resting on Mamori's, their shoulders brushing lightly . "Ne, Yoichi-kun?" she whispered quietly. He was mildly surprised that she was suddenly speaking in Japanese, "What is it?" "Do you remember that night in the forest? When you were perched on that tree?" "What about it?" "What were you thinking? When you were stargazing?" 

Hiruma smiled her personal smile, "I was thinking about how resembled the moon, standing out radiantly in contrast to the stars." Mamori smiled gently and said, "Its quite rare to hear you speaking long sentences without cursing," and she giggled. Hiruma gave her a big grin and said, "You are a whole fucking lot better when you're not fucking acting," then he leaned his forehead against hers, "and you're fucking mine, fucking manager." He pressed his lips against her and slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She placed a hand behind his head and pulled him deeper. He licked her lips and she allowed entry. She broke the kiss and cuddled her head in the crook of his neck. "Aishiteru, Yoichi-kun," she gushed. "I love you, too," he responded.

He walked her home that night, as he always did. But as he turned away, a worry revealed itself to him; his time there was running out and he had to ask her soon.

* * *

Aaaa I'm feeling sooo dizzy!! I finally finished this freaking chapter!!

_I couldn't forget all those homeless people I saw on my holiday to London. There was this little girl playing a guitar by a park and I felt so sorry for her! _

_Oh, and sorry for the late update, I was recovering from the shock of chapter 258... sniff_


	14. Shock!

_Yes, I'm still workin' on this thing, don't worry. I'm not dead yet!!_

_Waaa!! I finally passed 50 reviews for this story (it was my goal)!! Thank you, readers!!_

_Sorry for the friggin late update, I've been in and out of the hospital a lot lately... Plus, I was lacking inspiration/ideas ENJOY!!_

* * *

His dark eyes surveyed his surroundings, listening to every sound his ears could pick up. The sound of the crickets outside, the wall clock ticking and the dripping water coming from his bathroom faucet. Plus the sound of Cerberus snoring from his bed.

Musashi had come home from the lunch he had with Yukimitsu and Kurita to find Cerberus on his bed. Ever since then, he had to buy three times as much of food everyday and he had to sleep on his sofa. He should have known. Hiruma always left his dog at someone's house if he was going outstation, but the annoying thing is the fact that he did it by surprise. He won't tell anyone that he's leaving Cerberus anywhere, like the last time, when he had left Cerberus at Sena and Suzuna's house; it was total and utter chaos.

He sighed and checked his watch, 'Let's see, what time is it there?'

* * *

Day 5

Hiruma was eating his breakfast when his cellphone rang. 'Musashi?' Flipping open his phone, "Yo, what's up?" (please note that they're speaking in Japanese) "Hey, thanks for leaving your dog at my place," came Musashi's sarcastic voice from the other line. "Kekekeke! He better be alive til I get back!" "You should be glad _I'm_ still alive to take care of it! That mutt's burning a hole in my pocket!" "Kekekekekeke!! At least you didn't try to get it off you bed like that fucking shrimp did, did you?" "No, I'm not THAT smart." "Heh, fucking old man..." "Hiruma?" "Yeah?" "You haven't asked her yet, have you?" "I haven't found the right time yet." "Hiruma, your time there is almost-" "I know exactly how much time I have left, okay?" Hiruma heard Musashi sigh, "Just ask her, she'll need time to think you know." "You think I don't know that?" "Well, I gotta get some shut-eye, catch ya later." "Meh," and he hung up.

Hiruma left his hotel room about half an hour later dressed in his usual black. It was extra chilly that day so he pulled his coat tighter around his form. Mamori still had to work that day, so he decided on wandering around the place. He enjoyed the different atmosphere in London, and refreshing himself from the usual _surroundings, he took in every detail. He passed a building with strange bullet-like_ marks on the walls. There were still a lot of places he hadn't seen, so he decided to take advantage of his free time to see them.

* * *

"Thank you, please come again!" said Mamori, smiling cheerfully at the customer. He blushed slightly and gave her a nervous grin, 'I'm definitely coming back here...' After he left, Mamori glanced at her watch, "I should get ready to close up," so rolling up her sleeves, Mamori took out the broom (Ah, her beloved broom...) and started cleaning up. Fifteen minutes later, she was locking the doors, humming cheerfully.

'Wow, the sun's setting pretty quickly... I guess fall's almost over...' she thought, observing the darkening sky. As she walked in the empty street, she wondered, 'What could Yoichi-kun be up to?' so she took out her cellphone and speed-dialed his number.

_Beep beeep... beep beeep... _"Hey, what's up?"

"Ah! Hi Yoichi, I was just wondering what you were up to." "Just lookin' round. Are you done working?" "Yea, I just closed up a few minutes a- AAH!" "Fucking manager? Oi! Mamori! Mamori!!" _Beep._

* * *

Hiruma stared at his phone, the screen saver blinking at him. "Fuck."

He grabbed his jacket.

* * *

Mamori gave out a small cry as she was slammed against a wall. She had been walking past an alley when someone pulled her by the arm and grabbed her phone. She now stared at the face of her captor, who was smiling lopsidedly at her, still holding her phone. He had a strange look in his eyes and looked like a gangster. She felt herself shaking as he examined her, "Ho I got a good catch today"

"I-I-I h-have m-m-money, i-if that's w-what you w-want!" she choked out. The man flung her cellphone aside and grabbed her bag, throwing it in the direction he threw her phone, "I don't need money, I already have that." Mamori felt her body go cold as he came closer, licking his lips, "Nice, very nice..." As he reached his hand out, Mamori tried to make a run for it, but the man grabbed her round her waist and pulled her against his rough figure, "Don't scream, or I'll twist your neck!"

One of his hands slipped under her shirt as he pressed his lips on her neck, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. Mamori could hardly breathe as cold shivers ran continuously down her spine. "You're frightened... how cute" he commented, licking her ear. Turning her around, he pressed her against the wall and ripped her shirt in the process. A lustful smile on his face, he pressed his cold, wet lips against hers as she struggled and let out a muffled screamed. She clawed at him and tried to push him away, tears pouring down her cheeks. When he pulled away and started to leave wet kisses on her neck, she screamed, "Yoichi!!" "Shut up, bitch!" "Yoichi! Tasukete!!" 'Help me!' "No one's coming to help you, whore, shut the fuck up!" He was just about to unzip her jeans when-

* * *

Hiruma was on his way to Mamori's house, taking quick, long strides, 'The store shuts down at six, so knowing her, she'd leave around five minutes later. When she called me, it was near 6.15, and her house is fifteen minutes away, which means she wasn't home yet. She was on the way... what's that sound?' His ears pricked as he heard a familiar voice somewhere nearby.

He quickened his pace, scanning his surroundings in search of the source. "-so shut the fuck up!" "What the-?!" Hiruma reached and alley and turned. His blood boiled and his breath became ragged at the sight before him; attempted rape. And the victim was the fucking manager; HIS fucking manager. They had both turned to look at him at the sound, she was crying. "Yoichi..." He was definitely angry.

His ears were deaf to the pleas. His eyes blind to the blood. It was five bullets altogether. One for each limb, but the last had gone astray; at the last second, Mamori had pulled at his arm, "Please." He gazed into hers, cold and murderous. She had never seen him this way. He had one bullet left, he just needed to pull the trigger and there would be a hole in the man's heart; his cruel, lustful heart. But Mamori didn't let him, "I don't want you to be a killer." She watched his eyelids drop as he lowered his gun. His eyes regained a tinge of their former warmth as he turned to look at her again. "Thank you..." she muttered, her head drooping. Hiruma placed his jacket around her shoulders and an arm around her waist.

Mamori cuddled against him and pulled the jacket tighter around her. Picking up her stuff, Hiruma escorted her back to her home.

* * *

Mamori was in the shower and he was in her kitchen, cooking (Your gasp enters here). After he set up the table, he went to wash his hands; but he was letting the water flow. 'I almost killed him.' The image of Mamori in that alley flashed into his mind and his anger burst throughout his body again, 'Fuck.' He turned the tap off, but he kept his hands in the sink, watching the water drip.

"Yoichi-kun?"

He snapped out of his trance-like state and turned to see Mamori wearing an oversized T-shirt and shorts. Her hair was still a bit damp and a thick lock covered her face. Wiping his hands on a towel, he went up to her and tucked it behind her ear, "You okay?" "Arigatou, Yoichi-kun." He gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead, before guiding her to the dining table.

They had dinner in silence and avoided eye contact. When Hiruma looked up, he saw that Mamori hadn't touched most of her food. Sighing quietly, he got up and seated himself right beside her, "Aren't you going to eat?" "I'm not hungry." He stayed silent for a moment before putting on a pretend sad face, "Are you saying my cooking is bad?" Mamori couldn't hold back the smile that broke out on her face and she started laughing. Hiruma's grin spread out on his face as he picked up a spoonful of food and raised to Mamori's mouth level, "Eat." "But I'm not-" Suddenly, he brought the handle of the spoon to his mouth and bit on it. "Eat," he said through his teeth.

She felt her face heat up as she at from the spoon.

* * *

Mamori had fallen asleep on the couch, Hiruma had replaced himself with a pillow, so she slept soundly. As he watched her, he thought, "I guess I didn't have time to ask her after all... and tomorrow's the last day.' Without a sound, he opened her locket and put something inside, smiling gently at the photo. Then, he closed it with a soft _click._

Mamori awoke the next morning alone.

* * *

_Should I change the rating? Sorry for the shortness! (I'm sorry for a lot of things lately, no?) R&R please!_


	15. The Day After

_To:_

_pinkcrystal: (response __to the first sentence)an arrow pierces heart (second sentence) another arrow (the rest) someone pulls the arrows out and heals the wounds I live!_

_Birdi, Scrunchy, windam2611, Luna Addictus and all you other readers:_

_Thank you for reading and supporting me so far!!_

_x.Enjoy!.x_

* * *

Day 6

_(Hiruma's place)_

The cold water ran through his hair, running down his face and down his body. It was helping him calm down and cool his head. He couldn't sleep, who knows how long he had been standing under the shower. Sighing, he looked up, letting the water hit his face. 'I'm wasting my time. When do I plan on asking her? Fuck,' with a final sigh, Hiruma turned the water off and stared at his hand, drops of water dripping from his dark locks. 'A killer, huh?'

Hiruma kept his towel around his neck, dressing up in a black and white horizontal striped T-shirt and black jeans, staring out the window. 'Its raining again...' and he glanced at the choker on the coffee table. Picking it up, the locket rested retsed on his palm, glistening in the moonlight. 'Mamori...' He balled his hand into a fist, gripping the locket. 'I'm going for a walk.' Hiruma grabbed his waterproof jacket and went out.

* * *

'This is much better than being inside...'

Though it was raining, Hiruma was walking in the dark streets, wandering aimlessly. 'Heh, who'd have thought I'd be one to walk in the rain... People'll start thinking I'm some hopeless romantic...' (like me!) he thought, smirking at himself. He looked up and found himself in a playground and looked around with a blank expression before walking over to the resting area. He sat under the shelter and observed the deserted area, listening to the sound of the rain. 'Its no different here than back in Japan...' With the lulling rhythm of the drops, he fell asleep, leaning against the roof's support. When he awoke, the rain had stopped and the first rays of sunshine traced the line of the horizon. 'Dawn... I haven't seen it for so long,' he thought to himself. Stretching his legs, he played on the swings for a while as he waited for the sun to rise higher.

* * *

'He left...' thought Mamori, hugging a pillow to her chest and gazing out the window. She had woken to see soft light streaking across the sky, not long after dawn. The memory of last night flashed into her mind and she cringed, her eyes feeling hot. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed mentally, 'No! I won't cry! I'm not weak! I'm not!' and after calming down, she went for a shower.

Dressed in a brown top and black tracks, Mamori sat in her dark living room staring at the fire. The flickering lifght reflected in her clouded eyes, sending dark shadows across the room. 'I guess its true,' she thought, 'the greater the light the greater the shadow...' Glanced at her phone, she picked up the receiver and called.

_Beep... Beep__... Beep... Beep..._

'Please, pick up the phone!'

_Beep... Bee-_

"Hello?" came the sleepy voice on the other side of the line.

"Elaine? I'm sorry for waking you up..."

* * *

_(Elaine's place)_

Elaine sat up suddenly, any trace of sleep vanishing from her face, "What's wrong, Mamori?" she asked, obviously concerned. "... Never mind, its nothing. See you round." _Beep. Beeep._ 'Damn, she hung up,' thought Elaine, replacing the receiver. Getting out of bed, she went out of her room and went to the other, knocking loudly, "Nikki! Wake up! We're visiting Mamori!"

* * *

_(Mamori's place)_

'In the end, I couldn't say anything at all...' she turned to look out of the window; the sky consisting warm golden lights, 'sunrise...'

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

'Who could that be?' "Elaine? Is that you?" Mamori opened the door and let out a soft gasp.

* * *

Once he caught sight of the sun peeking above the horizon, Hiruma got up and started wandering, going wherever his legs brought him. 'When am I going to ask her? Will she agree? How will she react?' these question were repeating themselves inside his mind and it was driving him insane (if that's even possible...).

When his legs finally stopped, he found himself standing in front of Mamori's house. Sighing, he thought, 'I guess my unconscious form wants me to ask her now... Meh,' and he walked up the path to her front door. "Fuck it." He raised his fist and...

* * *

"Yoichi...-kun..." "Morning," he greeted, giving her a casual wave. Faking a happy smile, she returned his greeting, "Good morning, come in! I'm sure you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" leaving Hiruma at the door, she went to the kitchen and went around faking a happy pretense. "So, would you like scrambled eggs or toast? I even have some cocktail sausages if you'd like!" Hiruma leaned against her kitchen's door frame and watched her bustle about. "Mamori..." "Ooh! I know, how bout some waffles? Or maybe pancakes!" "Mamori!"

Mamori stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him, the smile still plastered on her face, "Yes, Yoichi-kun?" "I need to ask you something, can we sit down?" Mamori hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sure, let's go to my living room." Taking hold of his hand, she led him to the couch and sat him down beside her. "So what did you wanna ask me?" He hated the smile she had on her face, he didn't like it when she was lying to anyone, especially herself. He looked down at their clasped hands, covering hers with his other. "Mamori," he started, unsure, "I don't know how to ask you this, but-"

_Rrriiinngg... _'Fuck!'

_Rrriiinngg..._ Mamori pulled her hand away and went to her phone.

_Rrriii- _"Hello? Elaine? You're coming over?! No, I'm fine! Really! You're coming anyway? You'll be here in a few minutes?? Is Nikki coming? Well, okay-" Mamori could see a long shadow before her, 'He's standing behind me...' "I'll see you guys..." Mamori hung up and Hiruma snaked his arms around her shoulders. She responded by reaching up and holding onto his forearms. "Yoichi-kun..." "Come back with me." He rested his head on her shoulder. "But, Yoichi-kun..." "I'll help you. I swear, I'll help you through everything you go through and everything you need." "Yoichi-kun..." "Please, consider it..." He placed a kiss on her sensitive spot beneath her ear before pulling away, walking back to the front door. Mamori didn't turn back.

* * *

"Elaine, are you sure she doesn't mind us coming?"

"Nikki, I swear! She sounded really troubled! And anyway, she was the one who called me and hung up! Something _must_ have happened!"

"Ooo... do you think she broke up with her boyfriend?"

"That over-protective lovesick guy who came all the way from Japan to see her?"

"Okay, no need to answer that..."

Elaine was just about to knock on Mamori's front door when Hiruma came out. "Hiruma?" "Frostbite?" "Hey..." he greeted, before walking around them and down the path, leaving the front door open. Elaine and Nikki watched as he vanished around the corner before peering into Mamori's house. "Hello? Mamori? We're coming in!" called Nikki, walking in. They entered the living room to see Mamori still standing by the phone, staring into space, her left hand fiddling with her locket.

"Mamori?"

Her tears spilled.

* * *

_"Oh the drama" right? Muahaha... The OOCness of it all... Again, sorry for the shortness, I love building the suspense! XD Muahahahahaha!! R&R please!_


	16. Hesitation

_Ngahaha! I have managed to achieve the desired effects of the suspense! YAHA!!_

_Hey, check this place out if you can:_ _http://www.megic.1go.dk/dontclickeng.htm_

_Its awesome! XD Nyahahahaha!!_

* * *

"So you're saying Frostbite (ngehehe... that cracks me up each time...) asked you to go back with him?" asked Nikki. After arriving to find Mamori crying, they had comforted her with the help of hot chocolate. They had been sitting in her living room for the past hour, talking and crying and she had finally managed to choke what had happened previously that morning.

"But you've been wanting to go back for god knows how long, isn't this your chance?"

"I know, but know that I actually can, all these questions are just popping up. What am I gonna do there? How long am I going to stay there? Where am I gonna stay?" asked Mamori, gazing sadly at her companions.

Elaine, who had been holding her cup of hot chocolate, took a sip before setting it down and saying calmly, "Well, why don't you settle down there?"

"What?!" exclaimed Nikki and Mamori in unison.

"You can always come back to visit us, and we can go over to visit you. You belong there, and just because you're in a different country it doesn't mean we'll lose contact, right?" asked Elaine, smiling gently.

Mamori looked down at her hands, still in doubt. Elaine reached over the table and rested a hand on hers, "Remember Mamori, if that boyfriend of yours really does care for you, which I'm sure he does," she added in a slightly lower voice and gave a small laugh before continuing, "he'll help you throughout the entire thing til you're happy and comfortable." "And we're here to help you too! Don't you forget that! Oh, and there's Matt, too, of course," piped Nikki.

Mamori looked at the reassuring faces looking at her and smiled for the first time that day, "Thanks guys, I'll think it over." As Nikki and Elaine were about to leave, they gave each other a group hug and Mamori asked (a supposed-to-be rhetorical question), "What would I do without you guys?" And with a demonic grin almost like Hiruma's, Nikki stated, "You'd go through life here as an outcast, suffering depression, stress and suicide attempts." (cue sweatdrop! XD)

* * *

_(Matt's place (yes, he still lives))_

Elaine had called him earlier and told him she was going to Mamori's place because of a distress call she had received earlier. Now, he was sitting by in his living room, wondering about what to do. He couldn't call Nikki or Elaine cuz they could still be with Mamori and he didn't wanna disturb a 'girlfriends only' gathering, now did he? So (emphasis on that word), he took out his cellphone and scrolled through his phone book before stopping, full of dread, on a name.

_Gulp._

* * *

_(Guess who's POV this is)_

He sat on a bench by the lake in a park, throwing chunks of bread at the ducks. (Duck... heheh... I like ducks... XD) His mind wasn't focused on anything in particular, he was just staring vacantly into the distance; which was what made his accurate throwing _quite _strange. He only snapped back to reality when he realized that he was out of bread. "Tch..." He was just about to get up when his phone started vibrating in his pocket.

He pulled his phone out and stared at the caller ID, 'Matt?' He crumpled the empty paper bag into a ball and through it into the nearest trashcan before answering, "Hello?" "Hello? Hiruma?" "No, its Nicholas Romanolf," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "What do you want? And how did you get my number?" "How did _you_ get _mine_?" "... What do you want?" "I need to ask you something...

x.x.x.

(_some time later)_

"You're serious about this aren't you?"

Hiruma was walking back to his hotel and he had been discussing a few things with Matt, "Yea, that's why I need her to come back with me." "... Hey, Hiruma?" "Yea?" "If she agrees, can you promise to take care of her?" Hiruma frowned, "Do you-" "No! Don't take it that way! Its just that... she's my friend, and Elaine's and well, so... if Mamori's sad, then..." '...' "Alright, I get it. Hey! Are you saying you don't think I can take care of her?!" (again, CUE SWEATDROP!!)

x.x.x

_(not so long later)_

Arriving in his hotel room, Hiruma sat on the sofa in the living room and was about to boot his laptop when his phone vibrated again, "Why is my phone so active today?" he wondered aloud.

* * *

_(and we return to the damsel in distress __**ngehngehngeh**)_

It was around noon when she left her house, but the sky was gloomy and the air was chilly. The trees lining the streets were almost bare, too. A flock of migrating birds crossed the sky, 'Winter is definitely near...' she thought. She was passing by a playground when she saw a few kids playing. Sitting on one of the swings, watching them bully their smallest member. A few moments later, a girl who seemed about a year older than them came and started telling them off, swinging a plastic ruler about threateningly, "Don't bully Johnny!" she yelled after the fleeing boys.

A smile spread across her lips as she thought, 'How nostalgic... I hope that kid grows up to have great friends and a great spirit... like Sena...' She looked down and gazed at her feet, 'and that girl needs to learn to let him grow... and move on...' her eyes started growing hot as she kept thinking, 'I guess I miss you guys more than I thought... everyone... What would you do if you saw me like this? I really can' live without you guys... Hahaha...' the tears were brimming and she clasped her hands to her face, 'I can't cry! I can't!'

"Here, you can have this!"

Mamori looked up in surprise to see the little boy, Johnny, standing before her with his big innocent brown eyes, holding out an ice-cream cone.

"My friend says ice-cream makes you feel better, even though too much is not good for you," he added the last part in a lower, more embarrassed fashion, "anyways, you can have mine! That is, if you want it... I mean..." he was losing his cool alright. Mamori couldn't help smiling at how much he resembled Sena, continuing to gaze into the boy's dark eyes. "Um... you're feeling down, aren't you? Hurry up! Its melting!" Johnny was starting to get really nervous as the ice-cream started to drip. Taking the cone from him, she gave him a hug, "Thank you."

"Johnny! Come on! We're going to the movies with my mom, remember?"

"Ah!"

Johnny pulled away and called back, "Coming!" Then, facing Mamori and giving her a big cheerful smile, he said, "Have a great day, sis!" before running off to join his other friend.

"Whaddya know, its my favorite flavor!" muttered Mamori to herself, licking the ice-cream.

* * *

_(and back to the hero of the fanfic)_

"You mean, she wa-" "Do I really need to repeat myself, fucking old man?" "Is the guy de-" "No." "Quit cutting my sentences." "Didn't cut that one, now did I?" "... Anyway, have you asked her yet?" "This morning." "What did she say?" "No answer yet." "Well, you have my luck." "You know I don't believe in that fucking crap. If I did, I'd be dead by now." "Yea, right. Listen, I need to get food for myself so-" "_Just_ yourself?" "Yes, I meant your dog too." 'That dog eats more than I do...' "So update me bout anything ASAP, alright?" "If I'm in the mood."

Before Musashi could say anything back, Hiruma flipped his phone shut and stared at the blank screen of his laptop, 'Luck, huh?' And he felt his eyelids droop.

* * *

'Should I knock? What if he's not here?'

Mamori stood before Hiruma's hotel room, unsure and hesitating. After a few moments of consideration, she decided to try the handle; and was surprised (and secretly, relieved) to find that it was unlocked. Silently, she pushed the door open and peered inside. Scanning the room, she saw a shock of dark hair on the arm of the sofa. She went in and closed the door quietly behind her, tip-toeing up to him and leaning forward to study his sleeping face.

'He always looked so innocent when he's asleep,' she thought, a smile spreading across her face as she brushed his dark locks of hair away from his eyes, brushing his skin ever so lightly. She sat down on the floor and leaned against the coffee table, taking in the details of his face. It hadn't changed much, but she noticed how his already sharp features had gained an even sharper edge, and his eyes had turned one or two shades darker. Even his ears seemed a bit longer. He had maintained his fitness and had grown quite a few inches.

Brushing her soft hand gently against his smooth cheek, she pressed her lips lightly against his and whispered, "I've made my choice."

The moment the door closed behind her, Hiruma's eyes slit open.

* * *

_GAH!__ The freakin chapter is DONE! Man, I'm still building the suspense... NGAHAHAHAHA! R&R please XD_

_Response to chp 263: HE LIVES!! KYAAAA!!! XD_


	17. Decision

_I must say, the first review I received on chapter 16 really hurt me... Especially since I__ was just having an argument with my mom! I wish I wasn't an emotionally scarred and haywire person... this sucks..._

* * *

_Rrriiinnng...__Rrriiinnng...__Rrrii-!_

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mamori?"

"Oh, hi Matt! What's up?"

"Hiruma told me bout what happened, and I wanted to ask you, have you decided?"

"..."

"Okay, I'll cover up for you at work, so you don't worry bout that."

"Thanks Matt."

"I just hope you're happy with your decision. See you!"

"Bye! Thanks again!" _Beep._

* * *

Last Day

Hiruma sat on a bench in the airport, sipping his coffee. It was somewhere around eight in the morning.

_"Attention, passengers of flight A730, to Japan, please come to the departure lane. Thank you."_

Hiruma crumpled the styrofoam cup and threw it into a trashcan. Then, he picked his laptop bag and walked to the departure lane; alone.

x.x.x

He sat in his living room, taking in the familiar sights. 'This is so much better than staying in that fucking hotel room...' he thought, yawning. 'Argh!' "I hate jet lag!" he exclaimed out loud.

He took out his phone and sent a text message to Musashi: 'You can send Cerberus over whenever you're free.' Then, he booted his laptop and worked on the assignment he would need to hand in to his boss next week.

"Ceh, I need to go train those fucking twerps tomorrow. They'd better have been training while I was away..." he muttered to himself before popping a stick of sugarless gum into his mouth... only, it wasn't sugarless. "Fuck!" he hadn't even chewed it yet and he could taste it; so he spit it into the nearest waste paper basket. "I can't concentrate without my gum!"

So he grabbed his jacket and went back out.

x.x.x

It was evening when Hiruma arrived back home. He dropped the plastic bag on his dining table and went went into his room.

'Pffft. I'm not in the mood to do that fucking assignment... I'm gonna go shower,' he thought.

x.x.x

Dressed in a wide collared gray T-shirt and black trousers, he dried his hair and hung his towel, leaving his hair in a state that was messier than ever (sexy!). Dumping his laundry in the washing machine, he slumped onto his sofa and was about to return to his assignment when there was a knock on the door. 'Must be Musashi with Cerberus,' he thought, sighing and getting back up.

But when he opened the door...

* * *

_(Anezaki Residence)_

Mamori awoke to see the sun rising and hurried to get ready. After having a quick breakfast, she headed over to her mother's house.

When her mother opened the door, she said straight away, "Mom, I've decided." Her mother smiled at her gently, "From that look on your face, I know exactly what you're going to do. She gave her daughter a hug and asked, "You _will_ come visit me, won't you?" "Of course I will! I can't just leave you here alone, can I?" "When are you going?" "Around noon." "Well, go get ready!" said Mrs. Anezaki, pulling away and making 'shooing' motions with her hands.

"I'll miss you, mom!" she called, walking away. Her mother just waved from the doorstep.

'I'll miss you too, dear.'

x.x.x

"Mamori! Come on! You don't wanna be late for your own flight!" called Nikki.

Mamori came out of her house to see Nikki, Elaine and Matt waiting by the cab. Her luggage was already loaded in the back as she locked her front door.

"Goodbye, London," she muttered quietly.

x.x.x

"Bye, Mamori. Don't forget us!" said Nikki, as she hugged her tight. "Ow! You _must _have left a mark there, how can I forget you?" she replied, hugging back. Everyone laughed at that comment until Nikki finally let go. "We'll always be here for you. Plus, we'll visit you the moment you get settled, okay?" said Elaine, taking her turn to hug. "Yea, keep in touch!" said Mamori. As Matt hugged her, "Your boyfriend would kill me if he saw me do this..." he joked. That got everyone laughing again.

"_Attention, passengers of flight K386, to Japan, please come to the departure lane, thank you._"

"Well Mamori, there's your flight. You better get going," said Elaine. As Mamori walked away, Nikki called out to her, "Say 'hi' to Frostbite for me!" And as the distance between them grew, Mamori waved her final goodbye to her friends.

x.x.x

When she arrived in Japan, she scrolled through her phonebook in search of a name.

_Beep... beep... beeep... _"Hello?"

"Musashi?" "Mamori?! Is that you??" "Nice to hear from you too," she said, laughing at his startled response. "Where are you?" "I'm at the airport and I was wondering if you could tell me where-" "Where Hiruma lives?" Mamori was shocked at getting cut by anyone other than Hiruma, but regained her composure immediately, "Yes. Could you tell me?"

x.x.x

Mamori stood before the apartment building, squinting as the light of the setting sun reflected on the many, great windows.

_'Hiruma's on the 12th floor, room 1201.'_

'Okay Mamori, this is it!'

And so, bringing her suitcase with her, she entered the great building.

Hiruma stared at the figure before him, a look of shock written on his face.

"M-Mamori?" disbelief was evident, 'Did I fall asleep?' he thought.

She smiled at him and reached out to take his hand in hers, "I'm home."

The same smile engraved itself on his face and he pulled his hand away, pulling her into a tight embrace.

* * *

_-The end._

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_Its finished, go away!_

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_Don't you get it? I'm done with this thing! DONE!!_

_-_

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_Gotcha didn't I? NGAHAHAHAHAHA!! XD_

* * *

They sat on the couch, watching 'Happy Tree Friends' on TV... both wincing as the toy dentals suddenly bit off Toothy's finger.

"How can something so cute be so... violent?" asked Mamori, her hands clutching her heart as she attempted to calm her beating heart.

"That's why they have to die, they're _too_ cute."

"You're cruel," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. At that moment, Lumpy pulled his eye out and she screamed, covering her face. Hiruma threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter, "I can't believe you're getting freaked out by a cartoon!"

"I am- AAAAAH!!" Mamori screamed as the shelf fell on him. "I mean, this thing is- HIYAAAA!!" the squished his head.

"Mamori?"

She blinked and looked away on the screen to see that; in her state of shock, she had grabbed Hiruma's shirt and had been shaking him.

"S-sorry!" she apologized, blushing and busying herself with smoothing out his shirt.

But Hiruma didn't seem to mind, snaking his left arm around his shoulder and pulling her closer, "You always look cute when you blush," he said with a sneer on his face. Fighting down the ever-rising blush, she countered, "Oh, does that mean _I_ have to die like... _that_?" she nodded towards the television for emphasis. The grin on his face grew even wider, "No..." he leaned forward and whispered softly into her ear, causing her her eyes to grow wide and her blush to deepen.

Slowly, he trailed kisses from her ear to the corner of her lips before finally pressing his lips against hers. The kiss turned more passionate and Mamori let out a low, hungry moan, begging fo more. She felt Hiruma's lips form a smirk against hers.

* * *

_And so, we leave them to their business, cuz this chap's over. And yes, Happy Tree Friends freaks the heck out of me and I love it!! XD  
_

_Again, sorry for the shortness. R&R please_


	18. First Day Back

_Have no fear, the Devil Cat is here!_

_**Have you finally cracked?**_

_Just __makin__' an entrance, buddy._

_**I'm not your buddy. I am your arch nemesis!**_

_An-__gard__! Evil-doer! swords clash_

_Person in Cloak: You call that swordplay? I've seen powder monkeys with better technique._

_And who might you __be,__ mysterious person in cloak whom I do not recognize?_

_PiC__: It is I! throws cloak off_

_Captain __**Jack **__S__**p**__a__**r**__r__**o**__w?!!_

_____CJS: Yes, it is I! __Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service._

_____Hiruma__: What are you __people__ DOING?_

_____Together: __Er__... nothing big, __googly__ eyes_

_____H: ... __Rrriiight__ Just get on with it._

_____D: You know you're __gonna__ suffer in this chapter right?_

_____H: Change of mind. Keep stalling!_

_____D: On with the show! runs off_

_____H: NOOO!! attempts to snag shirt but ends up getting face-plant on the floor_

_____**Oh look, he's suffering already.**_

_____Since this is the first update of the year, I'm __gonna__ make it as long as I care to manage._

_____**Don't you mean, 'can'?**_

_____intense stare_

_____**Don't! It burns!!**_

_____H: There's _definitely _something wrong with you people…_

_____D: Who asked you?_

_____H: …_

_____CJS: I'm being forgotten..._

* * *

Hiruma was over-sleeping. The sun was rising and sunlight was pouring in through the big glass windows of his room and the only thing clear in his fogged mind was: Home. Yes, our beloved spawn of the Devil was sleeping soundly in his comfortable bed...

... until someone flipped his mattress over. With him on it.

"WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME YOU FUCKING BITCH?!!"

"Ooo somebody's cranky this morning. Do you need me to cool your head for you?" Mamori stood before him holding up a bucket of ice cold water, dark smile on her face.

"Don't. You. Dare," he said through gritted teeth.

Mamori set the bucket (veeery heavy bucket full of veeery cold water) on the floor and went over to him, pushing the sheet off his head, laughing cheerfully.

"I let you sleep long enough. Any longer and you'll be late for work!"

"Those fucking twerps can train without me!" but he still got up and walked over to the toilet, slamming the door shut behind him. She could still hear him cursing until the shower started running.

Shaking her head but still smiling, Mamori set to work making his bed. She immediately regretted flipping the mattress; it was heavy! (XD)

* * *

Mamori had decided to accept Hiruma's offer and stayed in his spare room. They had also agreed that Hiruma would be helping her to have a reunion with their old teammates.

'Kya I'm so excited!' thought Mamori, shivering with anticipation (that sounds wrong... eh, heck with it). She was spreading butter on the waffles she had made for breakfast and was just about to start spreading honey when a thought struck her, 'Since Yoichi-kun doesn't like sweet things, I doubt he'd like honey. (Does she even stop to wonder why he even HAS honey?) I wonder if he has any jam.' She opened the refrigerator and saw a yellow sticky-note stuck with Hiruma's neat, sprawling writing on it on the inside of the door: 'Get jam.' Sighing, Mamori returned to the waffles on the counter, pondering on what she should use, 'This is such a pain. Maybe I should just leave it buttered...' She didn't notice the shadow approaching her until his arms were wrapped tight around her waist, "Gotcha."

Mamori let out a relieved sigh and lowered the butter knife she had grabbed in shock, "Can you not do that?" "You're no fun," he teased, nipping her ear before going to the dining table and picking up yesterday's newspaper and sitting down, "Wonder what's been going on here..." he wondered aloud.

Mamori never recalled Hiruma having a habit of saying his thoughts out loud, but then again, people change. 'I'm just glad he didn't change too much,' she thought, returning to the task at hand; which was when she remembered the slight glitch. "Ano, Yoichi-kun?" she called, turning to face him, "what do you want in your waffles? We're out of jam." Hiruma didn't even bother to look away from his paper, "What DO we have?" "There's honey, but I guessed that you would-" "That'll be fine..." Mamori stared at him incredulously for a moment before turning away.

"... as long as you're feeding me."

_Twitch_.

* * *

"Are you going straight to the school?" asked Mamori, as Hiruma pulled on his shoes.

"No, I'm stopping by Sonson(1) to get some coffee; the stock in the clubhouse is running low."

'Perfect,' thought Mamori, smiling gently all the time. "Well, have fun!"

Hiruma was just about to wave her goodbye when he noticed something, "You have some crumbs on your face," he said, tapping his finger on the left corner of his mouth. But just as she was about to wipe them off, he grabbed her hand and held away leaning forward and licking it off. Mamori could feel the heat rising on her face and her heart pounding. With a sneer on his face, Hiruma walked out the door.

'Oh! I'll get you for that!' came Mamori's fuming thoughts, pulling off the clip holding her hair up and taking her sweater.

* * *

'I can't believe they just sold the last one!' it was Hiruma's turn to fume as we walked over to the familiar school building known as Deimon High. He had taken his favorite semi-machine gun out and had it slung over his shoulder as a warning to fellow pedestrians to STAY AWAY FROM ANGRY DEMON. And it was quite effective. (Betcha it would have been effective even without the gun...)

When he arrived at the field, it was empty. "Where are those fucking kids..." he muttered dangerously, walking to the clubhouse, "This is NOT a good start to the morning..." When he was close enough, he heard cheerful voices emanating from inside, but it wasn't clear enough for him to hear what they were saying.

Still fuming, he kicked the door open and said with a sneer and a low, malicious voice, "I'm back." The students inside were obviously terrified and they consisted of:

3rd Years- Kamizuru Sai (former quarterback), Chiharu Eniwa (former wide receiver)

2nd Years- Takeda Yura (quarterback), Kahari Yukimaru (line), Fuji Raito (wide receiver), Mikami Ryuu (line), Izawa Hikaru (runningback), Kishimoto Seishin (tight end), Tamada Yuna (manager)

1st Years- Ishizeki Kyou (line), Akimoto Seishi (kicker), Asaki Namikeru (line), Gaku Shirou (line), Ichimoku Sano (line), Utada Karagi (runningback), Mikage Yuuhi (receiver), Aogiri Aki (spare)

(Yes, that's a lot of people and who knows if they're gonna appear in later chapters.)

"Hi-hiruma-sensei!" (Buahahahaha!! XD) managed Kamizuru, the fastest to regain his composure. He was standing by the one of the slot machines and was the closes one to Hiruma. "How nice to see you back!"

"Don't entertain me with pretty words, fucking locks. Why aren't you lot out practicing?" he snapped.

"Well," started Sano, scratching his messy dark brown hair, "we would have gone out sooner but, well-

"Spit it out, fucking newbie!"

"Whenwecametherewasthiswomanherebut-" blurted Aki.

"Slow down, fucking wimp! I don't speak gibberish!"

"What's all the commotion about?"

Everyone turned to see Mamori emerge from the changing room, her hair up in a messy bun, wearing a white apron, sleeves rolled up and holding a dirty cloth. Apparently, she had taken up one of her old habits of keeping the place clean. She was wearing a white collared T-shirt with several thin horizontal green stripes and a cream knee-length skirt. Her brown sweater hung on the nearby rack. Several boys blushed obviously.

"What are YOU doing here?" enquired Hiruma, still frowning.

"Can't I visit my old team's clubhouse?" asked Mamori, raising an eyebrow, but she kept a straight face.

The heads in the clubhouse kept turning, following the conversation.

"You could have at least told me earlier."

"I would have, if you didn't lick those crumbs of my face," she said, a triumphant smile on her face as she tapped the spot. The students present gasped in disbelief and turned to face their coach, "You WHAT?!"

Hiruma simply looked at them and raised an eyebrow incredulously, "What, she didn't tell you who she was?" He sighed when they shook their heads. "Seriously, and I thought YOU of all people would introduce yourself when you're making acquaintances."

The smile still on her face, she walked up to Hiruma, "I was waiting for you to come so I could surprise all of you."

"Hahaha," he responded sarcastically. When she stood beside him, he returned his attention to the team and said, "This fucking woman is Anezaki Mamori. She's my team's fucking manager and she just came back from London. And," Mamori took this pause to link her arm in Hiruma's and lean against him, "she's my girlfriend."

Jaws dropped around the clubhouse.

"You have a girlfriend?!" asked Takeda.

"How come you never told us?" queried Seishin.

"And why would I need to tell anything about my private life?" countered Hiruma.

"She's hot," whispered Kahari to Ryuu, earning himself a shot from Hiruma, "Watch it, fucking four-eyes. Intro's over, get out and practice!" he ordered, shooting rounds at the ceiling. All the boys rushed into the changing room and were back out in a minute. Yuna was just about to follow when Hiruma called her, "Oi, fucking red! Do the 40-yard dash and benchpress!" "Yes, sensei!" And she rushed out carrying a stopwatch, a clipboard and a whistle. Mamori had no idea why Hiruma would call her 'red', since her hair was a rich black, but she decided to set it aside. She pulled away and went back to the changing room to continue cleaning (is that just one of her maternal instincts or is it just an obsession?). Hiruma threw his jacket over the back of his usual chair and left his laptop on his table before going outside to check on the students, loading his semi-machine gun with a manic grin on his face, "Those fucking twerps had better improved".

* * *

Mamori knew the true practice begun once the morning was disturbed by gunshots and shouts. She sighed, enjoying the nostalgic atmosphere. She was on her way out when she noticed that Hiruma's locker was slightly open. Curiosity overwhelming her (she had nothing else to do, anyway), she went over and opened it jumping out of the way in case anything jumped out at her. Fortunately, it was clear and she peeked inside. Inside were several things that made her smile upon seeing them. His old, muddy and torn wristbands lay beside his helmet and a photo of the team on the top shelf. The old miniature figure of him that had been made to mark positions on the turn-over table next door stood beside the wristbands. There were a number of guns here and there and a bottle of water. She was about to close the locker when something red amidst the guns on the bottom shelf caught her eye. Retrieving it, she saw that it was the photo album they had made after their first Christmas Bowl.

Mamori returned to the main room and sat on one of the chairs, a wave of nostalgia washing over her as she flipped through the pages. She laughed at the funny memories and smiled gently at other less fortunate moments. But at the last page, there was a photo she hadn't recalled placing in the album; the one Musashi had taken secretly, ten years ago. She smiled, hugging the album closely, reliving all the moments in her mind's eye.

As she was about to return it, Hiruma came it, muttering a string of curses, "Those fucking kids were slacking off when I wasn't here… fuck them." He looked up at Mamori, then at the album, raising an eyebrow, "You were looking in my locker?" "It was open and I just so happened to glimpse this," she said, waving it. Hiruma strode over to his chair and slumped down, switching on his laptop and resting his feet on the table as Mamori went back into the changing room. "If that fucking snowtop doesn't speed up, he'll never catch Poseidon's receiver…" muttered Hiruma, mostly to himself. Mamori knew well enough what he wanted when he was stressed out and went to the counter, pouring a cup of sugarless black coffee before placing it by Hiruma's feet, smiling at him, "Don't worry; with you as the coach, he's _bound_ to speed up sooner or later." Without even looking up at her, he took the cup at retorted, "Sweet talking's not gonna help. The kid's got one week before the next game," and he took a sip of the beverage.

Mamori just kept smiling at him until he finally turned to face her, "What?" "You just never change. Especially when it comes to American Football," she said, shaking her head. "Keh, I'd lose my mind before I overcome my obsession for Amefuto; and you know it," he said, smirking. "And that's what I love about you," she said, leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips.

At that moment, Yuna came in, "Excuse me, sense- oh!" she blushed at the sight before her. "I-I'm sorry! I… I didn't know you were…" Hiruma showed no interest in hearing the rest of her apology, closing his laptop and walking past her to the field. Yuna stood by the door, red in the face, "I… I should get going…" she was about to go when Mamori called her back. She was obviously nervous, but the warm smile on her face had a strange calming effect, "Yes?" "Come sit here me for a few moments. We can share some girl-to-girl talk, whaddya say?" offered Mamori, motioning to the chair on her right. "I dunno, I don't want to keep sensei waiting," she said, fiddling with her skirt. "Don't worry, you can tell him I wanted to talk to you. Now, what kind of coffee would you like?" asked Mamori, bustling about the counter. Yuna couldn't help smiling herself, "Milk, please."

* * *

"So, how's it like being manager?" asked Mamori, holding the warm cup of coffee in her hands and resting her elbows on the table, "Don't be so tense, I'm not gonna eat you!"

"Well, it's really fun! I get to meet the most interesting people; it's nothing like how I imagined it," said Yuna, smiling cheerfully at the thought.

Mamori laughed at the comment, "I know exactly what you mean! The first Devilbats weren't the most serious people in the world you know!" And they both laughed. "What made you decide to become the manager?" Mamori queried.

Yuna blushed at this and hesitated slightly, "Well, at first, there was a… an irrelevant reason, but then, I guess I just fell in love with American Football," she said, a smile appearing. Mamori returned the smile, "I guess we're the same then." Seeing that Yuna was feeling more comfortable in her presence, she decided to probe a little further, "I was wondering, why does Hiruma call you 'red'? I don't see anything that color about you… well, except you're your blush, haha!" she added the last part because her companion had turned a deep shade of red, "Are you okay? You look like someone just threw a tomato at you!"

"Well…"

Only then did Mamori notice that her fellow Amefuto lover was beginning to feel uncomfortable again and was just about to ask what was wrong when a thought struck her, "Is it because of one of the other members?" The fact that she turned a shade darker gave the game away. There had been only red-head in the club, but she didn't know his name. Just then, she noticed the list of members on the notice board next to their pictures. "Takeda… Yura…" she read. Almost immediately, Yuna tensed and she knew he had hit the bullseye. She turned back to the list, "He's the quarterback and he's in the same class as you are… does he know?" The silence that greeted her was sufficient enough. "Thought so. You know, I was in a similar situation as yours back then, but I didn't realize it. Even when I did, I could hardly bring myself to accept it," she reverted her eyes to the girl, whose head was lowered and whose eyes were hidden behind her hair. "You know, you'll never know what could happen unless you try," she said, the smile returning to her face. Yuna looked up to face her and managed a small smile. "Now," said Mamori, "You better get moving, the boy's are coming back."

* * *

Once all the students had gone to their respective classes, Hiruma and Mamori were the only ones left in the clubhouse. "Where are you going after this, Yoichi-kun?" asked Mamori, returning the cleaned cups into the cupboard. "I need to hand in my assignment to the fucking gay (his boss, but he hates admitting that he's under someone else's power). Then there's supposed to be a meeting, but I'll be back here in time for afterschool practice. I'll go to the party once I've made sure that they can handle themselves. What's on _your_ agenda? You're not coming to my workplace, are you?" he responded, placing his laptop in his bag and checking the safety of his gun. Mamori smiled at his comment, "No, I was thinking about to the grocery store and the mall. You need jam," she said, recalling the note he had left in his refrigerator, "Then, I'm gonna stop by the apartment before meeting you back here. That way, we can go together."

"Okay, catch ya later."

* * *

_____You know what? I think this is long enough. Happy Belated New Year! XD R&R please Next chapter: Get This Party Started! (If you thought it was __gonna__ be a formal occasion with me writing this thing, something is definitely wrong with you… XD)_


	19. Celebration

_OMG! My Internet FRIED!! I was reading the latest ES21 and it FRIED!!! I didn't get to finish the chapter!!!! Depression!! (Not a good thing, please avoid if possible.) And my bed is freakin' mess! Where am I supposed to sleep?! (Why are you talking about your bed?) Cut that out! (Never!)  
H: Seriously, there's something definitely wrong with you.  
D: And you're the reason.  
H: What?! Why me?!  
D: Because I love you, yet you're not real.  
H: Good thing too, who'd wanna live being chased around by some psycho- OI! DON'T THROW FRYING PANS AT PEOPLE! OR WATERMELONS! __**DROP THAT TELEVISION!!!**  
D: sits on unconscious Hiruma Ooo, there's a lump growing on your head. ACK! Who threw that tomato at me?!  
Sasuke: Get on with it, will you? Tch, waste of a good tomato.  
D: Here, have it back! throws tomato at Sasuke  
H: What are YOU doing here?  
S: When did YOU wake up? At least I'm not the one being sat on.  
H: Why the fuck are you sitting on me, damnit! Get off!!  
D: No.  
H: gets up anyway  
D: Oof! Hiruma! You'll pay for that! throws football at his head  
H: OW! This means war!  
DH: start throwing things at each other  
H: 'accidentally' throws Sasuke  
S: OI! Why'd you get me involved in this?!  
DH: glance at Sasukelooks back at each otherstart throwing things at Sasuke  
S: AAAH! NO! WHO STARTED THIS STUFF THROWING BUSINESS?! starts throwing things back  
CJS: blows whistle Enough!  
D: I thought you were gone.  
H: I always wonder why your teeth don't all rot and fall off even though you don't ever brush 'em...  
D: And I always wonder why your teeth only consist of fangs even though you're human.  
H: …  
S: What does that have to do with anything? Who's he?  
DHC: stare at Sasukestart throwing things at himagain  
S: SAVE ME!  
H: Why don't you do that fucking 'chidori' thing you use so often?  
S: Good idea. CHIDORI!  
DHC: AAAAH! runs for cover  
C: This isn't a normal person!  
D: You idiot! bonks Hiruma on the head  
H: Why you! starts choking DC  
M: whams Hiruma on the head with a broom Hiruma! Let her go!  
H: Will you people stop hitting me?! Where did you come from anyway?!  
D: In-coming Sasuke!  
DHM: ACK!! jumps out of the way  
S: On with the show!  
D: That's MY line! throws pumpkin at him  
S: glare FOODFIGHT!!!  
DHMS: start throwing food around until Hiruma throws a creampuff and Mamori beats him unconscious before turning her back on the war to mourn the loss of a good creampuff and DC throws an anvil at Sasuke and he blacks out  
D: Victory is mine!!! Muahahahahaha!  
H: manages to throw cabbage at DC  
D: vein pop Hiiiruuumaaa!!!  
[CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION(MAN I love that! XD But its not mine)  
CJS: I'm being forgotten again…  
x.x.x_

_Okay, okay, to the serious business (As serious as I can get…). I'm taking advice from a reviewer (since other people take mine, its only fair) so changes of POVs will be marked as: o.o.o, changes of time (but same POV) will be marked as: x.x.x, and I won't tell you whose freakin' POV it is, so use your brain (if you have one… __**Hey! That wasn't nice! **__gasp You're still here?! __**…**__). Get out of my head!! And one more thing, I'll be making Mamori call Hiruma well, 'Hiruma-kun', since… cuz I wanna change it, so there! TQ!  
Oh wait… what happened in the last chapter? I'm lost…_  
… _**raises sledgehammer threateningly**  
GAH! Just kidding! Just kidding!_

* * *

Mamori dropped the bags on the table before slumping down on the couch, sighing. "I can't remember the last time I shopped that much…" she muttered to herself, "Oh, I should go store the food, wouldn't want any milk curdling."  
o.o.o  
(_And several moments later once everything is where is should be…)_  
"This is so cute!"  
Mamori stood before the full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door, holding the top she had just bought. It was a white Paul Frank (was it Paul Frank? Eh, whatever) T-shirt with the logo (you know, the one with the monkey? Okay, maybe you don't know…) on its front and she couldn't resist buying it (among other things… **Enough intervening! **KYAAA! MERCY!!). Besides that, she had gotten a pair black denim jeans and a green hoodie to go with it. "I'll wash these tomorrow," she said, laying the said clothes on her bed and sorting through the rest, "I'll send this to the dry-cleaners… I can wash this one myself… This too… Ooh! I can't wait to show this one to Hiruma-kun!" When Mamori finished separating the clothes, she showered and got changed, applying light make-up and tying her now-dry-hair in a high ponytail. After checking her reflection one more time, she picked up her handbag and left the apartment.

o.o.o  
By the time Mamori arrived at the clubhouse, Hiruma was clearing his stuff up inside. "You women really DO take time to get ready," he said, his back to her as he continued his business. "It wasn't the getting ready that took long!" she huffed, arms crossed, "Besides, it's not like I'm late, right?" Hiruma turned to face her and gave off his usual sneer, "Ho, you were off shopping, eh?" Mamori pouted, "Well, if I hadn't needed to travel half-way across the globe on short notice, I wouldn't need to get any more." "If you'd come back on your own account, it wouldn't have been on short notice." "I would've come back anyway." "But it wouldn't be confirmed that you'd be back _now_ if I hadn't come first." "If we don't go now, we're _really_gonna be late," said Mamori, glancing at her watch. "You just don't wanna admit that you don't have a good comeback," responded Hiruma, the sneer still plastered on his face. "Fine, you win this round. Let's–" "Hah! _This_ round?" Mamori groaned and grabbed his arm, "Let's go!" "Okay, okay," picking up his laptop case, Hiruma let himself be pulled away.  
"I'm a little nervous though."

o.o.o  
"Do you think we still have time to change the venue?"  
"No! We agreed on this!"  
"Oi! You don't have to pinch me!"  
"Then quit your whining and let's go!"  
"As long as you don't make me _sing_ this time."  
The two were standing outside the Golden Cube, a karaoke house which just so happened to be the venue of their reunion party and Mamori was still trying to persuade him to sing; only to meet with limited success.  
"You just don't wanna admit that you're tone deaf."  
"How do I know _you're_ not?"  
Mamori was now dragging him in. "Because I agreed to sing."  
"Just because I don't want to sing, it doesn't mean I can't."  
"That's almost exactly what you said to excuse yourself from dancing."  
"You can't make me."  
They were just a few paces from the room they had reserved and they could already hear voices inside. Mamori gave Hiruma a blank look and he raised an eyebrow, "What?"  
"I can't make you sing?" and a grin broke out on her face.  
"_What_?" he persisted, applying more emphasis on the word. But when the smile on her face remained, he sensed that he would rather not know, "You're not gonna make me embarrass myself, will you?"  
"Not if you avoid the 'make me' part."  
"As in, avoid you?"  
"How do you expect to avoid me for the rest of your life?"  
Hiruma relented with a sigh, "Come on, just get this over with."  
"So it's one all?"  
"Yea, yea, you win _this_ time."  
Hiruma was just about to kick the door open when Mamori stopped him, "I can't believe you claim to be an adult yet _still_ kick doors open!" Hiruma turned and gave her his trademark grin, "Not all adults are boring." "And not all _adults_are**immature**. The door has a handle, use it," but when Mamori tried to pull it open, it was stuck, "It won't budge!"  
"Duh, the sign says 'push'."  
"Oh," she gave Hiruma a sheepish grin and laugh nervously before letting him push the door open. They were greeted with many cheerful conversations. Everyone was there, including Ishimaru, who sat in a corner smiling to himself. No one seemed to notice the door open, so Hiruma took out his beloved AK-47 and leaned against the doorframe, "Should I make us be heard?"  
Before Mamori could react, he released the safety and a shot the top of the frame, causing the karaoke house to be eerily silent for a moment; before returning to its usual noisy atmosphere. Mamori felt all eyes on the door and she sensed who they were looking for (_now_ can I intervene? **Fine.** Yea, um, Mamori's still behind the door, so the only person the others can see is Hiruma).  
"M… Mamori-neechan?" she heard Sena call.  
Mamori felt as if her heart was thumping in her throat, swallowing the lump that had formed along with it. Hiruma was watching her from the corner of his eye, and stepped back allowing room for her to pass, "Hey, guys!" she greeted nervously.  
The moment Mamori entered the room, smiles formed on her friends' faces and Mamori jumped up to hug her, "Mamo-nee!"  
"Mamori-neechan!"  
"Mamori-san!"  
"You're really back!"  
"Anezaki-san!"  
"Mademoiselle Mamori!" (Woah, guess who that is.)  
"Hey, Anezaki!"  
"Yo."  
"Heard you're staying with Hiruma, eh?"  
The last question came from Musashi and it was more of a statement. Mamori blushed slightly.  
"You are?" asked everyone, all at once (well, except Musashi and Hiruma, duh.).  
"Well, yeah. Why not?"  
"Ohoho getting all cuddly with You-nii, eh? Ma-mo-nee?" nudged Suzuna, putting emphasis on each syllable.  
"Su-Suzuna-chan! What are you saying? You know better than that!" Mamori was turning a darker shade of red. Only then did Hiruma choose to enter the 'welcome back' committee, "Don't be one to talk, fucking chibi. You've been living with the fucking shrimp for quite some time yourself."  
"You're living with Suzuna-chan?!" exclaimed Mamori, turning to face Sena, who had grown quite tall whilst she was away. In fact, the shortest among them was Ishimaru. (gasp **glare** Shutting up…)  
Sena looked sheepish, "Yea, well… yea. But we haven't been doing anything! Honest!"  
"When you put it like that, it sounds even more suspicious," said Juumonji.  
"It sounds more suspicious," said Kuroki.  
"It definitely sounds more suspicious," agreed Toganou.  
'Those three still repeat each other…' thought Mamori.  
While Mamori was busy exclaiming at how tall Komusubi had actually grown, Hiruma closed the door and walked in; a silent shadow unnoticed by glazed eyes; and took a seat in the darkest corner. The only one who saw him was Musashi, who went over and settled beside him, "She's enjoying herself."  
"Ten years is a long time."  
"I'm still wondering why you two didn't take action sooner."  
"So am I." (So am I. I still can't think of a solid reason… **hits with paper fan **OW!)  
At that moment, Mamori spotted Musashi and came over, "Musashi-kun! Kurita-kun told me you're engaged!"  
Hiruma turned to face Musashi with mock surprise, "You're engaged?!" and Musashi mimicked the look, "I'm engaged?! Why didn't anyone tell _me_?!" Mamori pouted and went back to the rest. "So, when are YOU planning to do it?" he asked. "… When the time comes," replied Hiruma. (Yes, zenbon. I dunno if you're still there, but yes. He's gonna ask her. Just not yet.)  
"KARAOKE MAX!! This is for you, Mamori-saaan!" shouted Monta, doing his trademark finger pose.  
'I can't believe he still does that…' thought Mamori, laughing nervously.  
"Are you just gonna let him?" queried Musashi, looking at Hiruma. With a grin, he handed something to Musashi. "Ah… earplugs. Smart," and he excepted the offering.  
Three minutes and fifty-eight seconds later, the score came up: 73 'Not bad!' "MAX!!!" "Huh?!" "Huuuh?!" "HUUUUUH?!!" finished Kuroki.  
"Haven't heard _that_ in a while…" murmured Mamori.  
Hiruma and Musashi stared in mild amusement at the score as jaws dropped everywhere else in the room.  
"A-ha-ha! If Senior Monta can achieve such a score, I should be able to do even better!" stated Taki, doing a Y-pose and taking the microphone. Suzuna covered her face in embarrassment.  
Four minutes and five seconds of torture later: 17 'You need practice'  
"Oh No!!" Taki threw his head back in despair, "The machine must be broken!"  
Everyone started laughing as Suzuna passed the mike to Sena, "Why don't you have a go?" "Eh?! Me?! No, I'm tone deaf!" declined Sena, pushing it away. "Aw, come on! Just one little tune! For me?" and she batted her eyelashes at him, making him blush. The Huh-huh brothers made sound effects in the back, "Ooo…" "Oh, alright. But you might wanna borrow Hiruma-san's earplugs." Everyone took notice of Hiruma at that moment, "You're wearing earplugs?!"  
Hiruma just gave them a blank look, taking one out, "What did you say?"  
There were sweatdrops around the room.  
"Go on, Sena!" encouraged Mamori.  
In the corner, Hiruma put his earplug back on.

o.o.o  
Everyone had had their turn on the karaoke with the results:  
Sena [38, Kurita [26 (nearly brought down the house), Komusubi [11 (his speech has gotten better), Juumonji [81, Kuroki [78, Toganou [69 (Oh, the disgrace of losing to Monta has scarred him for life.), Yukimitsu [41, Suzuna [83, Mamori [83, Musashi [75  
(Now who's missing? **Ishimaru.** Oh!)  
Ishimaru [93 (please gasp at this point)  
"Hey, You-nii didn't have his turn yet!" said Suzuna, turning to face him expectantly.  
Hiruma had been sitting in his corner the whole time, arms and legs crossed and his eyes closed. At the mention of his name, he opened one of his eyes and raised an eyebrow, "What?"  
"I thought you were wearing earplugs," noted Monta.  
"They fell off."  
"We were wondering when you'd take your turn. Everyone else did," said Sena.  
"I don't do singing," he stated, closing his eye again.  
"Oh, come on Hiruma!" Musashi nudged him with his elbow.  
"No."  
"How long has it been actually?" wondered Ishimaru (he speaks!).  
"Counting the intervention in between, precisely 51 minutes and 23.8 seconds," said Hiruma, eyes still closed.  
"You always freak me out with that," complained Suzuna, "Do you always have to be so uptight?"  
Hiruma's eyes opened into slits, "Exactly."  
Everyone felt cold chills go down their spine; save for Musashi and Mamori.  
"Does anyone want a second go?" asked Juumonji, waving the mike in his right hand.  
"I would like to undo the injustice-" started Taki, but Suzuna pulled him back down, "No way am I letting YOU sing again." "Oh, my sista!" _Smack!_  
Mamori settled beside Hiruma, "Are you sure you don't wanna try?"  
"Positive."  
"You're not positive at all." But Hiruma didn't move.  
Annoyed, Mamori jabbed the side of his rib with her finger. _Twitch._  
Mamori wasn't sure whether her eyes were playing tricks on her or Hiruma had actually twitched; so she poked again. This time, his body didn't move, but she saw his eyebrows crease slightly.  
She waited a few moments and shifted in her seat, then poked him again.  
"Will you stop that?"  
A grin spread out on her face, "Are you ticklish, Hiruma-kun?"  
"Are you lot quite done yet?" Hiruma raised his voice so the rest could hear him; he was obviously aggravated.  
"Yup, you're definitely ticklish," murmured Mamori, but Hiruma ignored her.  
"We can go if you want to," said Toganou.  
"You're just upset cuz you lost to monkey-boy," teased Juumonji.  
"I am not a monkey!" cried Monta.  
"Fucking monkey! We're leaving!"  
"Yes, Hiruma-san."

o.o.o  
"Where are we going?" asked Kurita, looking around.  
"Guess," replied Hiruma.  
"The… Steak House?" tried Sena.  
"Are we going for ramen?" suggested Kuroki.  
"Udon?" joked Komusubi.  
"Some expensive restaurant you blackmailed to let us gain free food?"  
"Very funny, fucking old man."  
"He tried to, though," said Mamori, deliberately poking Hiruma in the side again.  
"So where ARE we going?" asked Yukimitsu.  
"Oh! I know!" exclaimed Suzuna, "We're going to that café you used to go to with You-nii, aren't we?"  
"Hiruma? A reminiscing romantic? Now that's hard to believe."  
"You're testing your luck, old man. It was the fucking manager's idea."  
"Mamori-neechan isn't a manager any-" Sena stopped in mid-sentence when Mamori signaled him to be quiet.

o.o.o  
The group stood outside the 'Mornin' Cloud'. There wasn't anyone else inside, but Hiruma went in without a care and the others followed.  
"Hey, Max! You here?"  
An old man in his seventies came out from a door behind a counter, "Yes? How can I help ya an' yer friends, sonny?"  
"We're celebrating someone," and Hiruma pushed Mamori forward. She gave him a smile and a wave, "Long time no see, Max." "By Golly! Are my eyes playin' me?" "I'm here, Max." "Well, come over here and give me a hug! I missed seeing you!" And when Mamori came over, he whispered something else, "and you can't believe how much yer frien's've been missin' ya." Then, he turned "Alright, it's on the house!" announced Max, and everyone cheered, "But no drinking."

o.o.o  
"I'm bushed!"  
Mamori stretched as Hiruma locked the front door, "But you know, I feel like I'm forgetting something today… I just can't put my finger on it…"  
"Oi, fucking manager," when Mamori turned to face him, he handed her something, "Use it in your room," before going into his. Mamori blinked, looking down at the object he had given her, "His locket?" Shrugging, she retired to her room and closed the door, sitting on her bed, "What does he expect me to do with his…" and a thought struck her. Taking off her own locket, she fit Hiruma's into hers and it clicked open; inside, along with the photo he had inserted long ago, were two silver hoop earrings.  
"Hoop earrings? They don't seem new, that's for su-wait a minute!" Mamori picked up the accessories and jumped off her bed and was about to leave for Hiruma's room; only to run into said person right outside her door, hands in his pockets, "Hi-Hiruma-kun! I was just about to…" "Did you like my present?" "Pre- That was a…" she looked back at the hoops in her hand, "They were the ones you used to wear, aren't they?" "The second pair," he confirmed, pushing back his hair to reveal the other pair (You know, he used to wear four, right?), "Need help wearing yours?"  
Mamori smiled, shaking her head and putting them on, "Thank you, Hiruma-kun." Hiruma tilted her chin up with his thumb and forefinger, placing a kiss on her lips, "Happy Birthday, Mamori."

* * *

_That seemed so much better when I was thinking it up… I so suck at putting things in words. Sorry for not mentioning what happened in the rest of the party, my buddy was rushing me. __**The pressure!!!**__ Cool it! R&R please_


	20. Three Weeks Later

_Ngaaa I'm so sleepy!!!_

_H: And lazy, don't forget lazy._

_D: I have a stungun and I'm not afraid to use it._

_H: cringe_

_D: By the way, I need to ask you something..._

_H: ... lower the stunner first._

_D: Fine__. Do you like kids?_

_H: ... fuck._

* * *

"Mamori-sensei! Look, I made a flower!"

"Look at mine sensei! I did a dinosaur!"

"Mine! It's a turtle!"

"And they're all great." 'It's been three weeks since I came back,' thought Mamori, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She had achieved her dream of becoming a daycare worker, watching after kids til their parents came to pick them up later in the evening.

Little Keiko, the artist of the class, was sitting by the window, watching the last autumn leaves fall when all of a sudden her face lighted up with a smile and she called out excitedly, "Hey! Look! Look! It's-" and she was joined in by her fellow classmates, "You-jisan!!" and they all ran to the main entrance. A few moments later, Mamori heard Hiruma yell out and the kids scream as he was tackled down by twenty-six small forms. She sighed, a smile on her face; Hiruma always came on the same days at the same time each week and the class always anticipated his arrival.

All the children seemed to be talking at once as they dragged her boyfriend into the classroom and Hiruma was prying Mimi from his leg, Yuki perched triumphantly on his shoulders, "Are you looking after a group of kids or a bunch of monkeys? Oi! Don't pull my ears!" "You-jisan! Didn't you bring Cerberos this time?" Hiruma crouched down and pinched Satsuki's cheeks, "What did I tell you to call me?" and he stared back for a few blank moments, "... You-ossan?" and Hiruma started pulling on his face, "You-nii!!" "That's better," he said, releasing the boy's red face. "Who would've thought you'd use the nickname Suzuna gave you, eh? Hiruma-kun?" Hiruma looked up and gave Mamori a slight pout, which turned into a grin, "You're just jealous they like me better." "Hai, hai," said Mamori, waving her hand dismissively.

"So, what are you chibis doing today?" "We're playing with clay!" "Then why don't you brats let go off me and go practice? In two weeks when it snows, you wanna be able to make nice snowmans, don't you?" All the little faces grew even brighter with the mention of snow, "Really?!" With a confident tone, he said, "Of course!" The kids squealed in delight and ran off to continue they're moulding. Then Hiruma added in a quieter tone, "and if it doesn't, I'll come here in a Santa Claus suit..." "You better hold that promise Hiruma-kun." Hiruma turned to see Mamori standing by the door, "Wanna take stroll?" "Don't you have a bunch of twerps to look after?" "They'll be occupied for quite some time. Come on, before they start showing-off!" Running his long fingers through his dark locks, Hiruma followed Mamori outside.

o.o.o

"I still can't get over how much those kids like you..."

"Maybe it's because I'm not boring like you."

They were on the swings in the playground, idly swinging back and forth. They could still see Mamori's classroom from their point of view, and with their sharp eyes, it would be impossible to miss anything. Mamori leered at Hiruma from the corner of her eye, before huffing and looking away, "It seems the soft side of Hiruma Yoichi is taking over his dangerous appeal." "Ho Is that so?" Before Mamori could react, he grabbed the ropes of their swings and twisted them together (You know, like when some people spin round and round on a swing, only with two people intertwining.).

When they finally came to a rest, Hiruma was so close their noses were brushing, and he said in a soft, menacing tone, "You want me dangerous?" Mamori felt her heart pounding in her chest, his hot breath causing the blood to rush to her face. Hiruma lightly pressed his upper lip against hers and nibbled the edge of her lower lip. Mamori shuddered with his gesture, wrapping her fingers in his already messy hair and pulling him closer. He swiftly captured her lips, sliding his tongue between her slightly parted lips. When they parted Mamori let out a low sigh and Hiruma leaned his forehead against hers. "Yoichi..." Hiruma placed a kiss on her brow, "We should get back, your 'students' are waiting."

o.o.o

The next day, when everyone was doodling quietly, Keiko approached Mamori, "Mamori-sensei! Look what I drew!" When Mamori looked at the drawing, the smile on her face vanished and she felt her face grow hot, "Wh... where did you...?" "I saw you and You-nii doing it outside." With the blood rushing into her head, Mamori was beginning to feel dizzy, "Here, Keiko, why don't you do another picture? I'll keep this one." "Okay!" '... Next time I'm only doing that at home...'

* * *

_That was a bloody short chapter..._

_... just kidding. __Gotcha again! __:D_

* * *

The lot were sitting in Hiruma's living room, witht the said person sulking in an armchair, "Tell me again why all of you are here in my house?"

"I live hear too, Hiruma-kun. Technically it's _our_ house."

"Doesn't mean you can keep bringing people over for irrelevant reasons."

"Are you calling us irrelevant to your life, You-nii?" huffed Suzuna.

"I don't like parties. And if anyone even tries to leave without cleaning up the mess you lot are gonna make, I'll hunt you down one by one... starting with you," he added the last part while leering at Mamori, who just smiled sweetly back.

"We're not here to watch chic flicks are we? What's with that ice box anyway?" asked Toganou.

Suzuna gave him a grin, "You'll find out later. I've gotten some horror movies and a few fictions... why don't we see who can scream the loudest?" she said, placing the disc in the DVD player.

Some time later, the first screams were heard throughout the building followed by laughter.

"Couldn't you lot just go to the movies?" snapped Hiruma, before getting up to get a drink from the kitchen.

o.o.o

By the time their movie marathon was over, night had long fallen and the boys had regained blood in their faces. "I prefered the fiction movies..." muttered Kuroki, sipping on his Cola. "Ceh, fucking fish lips is a fucking wimp," said Hiruma, downing his sports drink. "Still won't drink fizzy beverages, Hiruma?" asked Musashi, who had sported for a Cola as well, "The only time I've seen you drink anything with sugar was during the game with Hakusyuu." "I drink and eat whatever I want, fucking old man." "Not true, you eat whatever I cook for you," said Mamori. "Fuck it."

"So, what do you guys wanna do now?" asked Sena, munching on potato chip. "Ooo! Let's play Truth or Dare!" said Suzuna excitedly, only to be greeted by groans by the boys, "That's a girl's game!" complained Monta. "If you can't do the truth or the dare, you have to do the other and if you can't do either one, you have to do the punishment," continued Suzuna, obviously not caring about the objections. "And what would that be?" queried Kurita. With a grin, she said, "You have to remove an article of clothing." "Strip Poker without the poker but challenges instead?" wondered Yukimitsu. "That's not fair! There won't be much of a show for us guy's since there are only two girls here!" joked Jyuumonji, earning himself glares from two certain guys.

"He's right Suzuna-chan, there aren't enough girls to balance this game. There are only two girls and nine guys," said Mamori. "And I don't wanna be caught cheating on my fiance," added Musashi, provoking a loud cackle from Hiruma. "Well fine, no stripping. But we're still playing the game, okay?" "Let's just get this over with and go home," said Monta, obviously exhasperated. And so, Suzuna announced in a low menacing tone, "Let the game begin."

o.o.o

"Are you sure you're not related to that Suzuna?"

"Why?" "Because," started Musashi, pressuring the first word, "when you look at her, she looks like the-"

"Miniature female version of me? Keh," spat Hiruma, chomping down on his gum (sugarless, ofcourse).

"You-nii! It's your turn!"

"What?! I'm not even playing this game!" exclaimed Hiruma. "You're not scared are you?" taunted Mamori. "Your taunts don't work on me fucking manager. I know your ways," he replied coolly. "Come on, Hiruma-san! Suzuna-chan says if you do this one we'll clear up and go home straight away," persuaded Sena, who was desperate to go home. After a few moments of thought, he agreed, "As long as you fucking lot go straight home afterwards." "Truth or Dare?" "Is that even a question?"

With a grin similar to Hiruma's, Suzuna tossed the ice box at Hiruma, who caught it easily, raising an eyebrow. "Go ahead and open it," she urged, her dark aura reaching out to everyone, except Hiruma and Musashi, who were immune to it; but once Hiruma opened the box, his eyes widened and he obviously paled, "... fuck." "Hiruma-kun? What's wrong...?" Inside the box were ice-creams. Lots and lots of ice-creams of various flavors. Still pale, from fury or fear, he looked straight into Suzuna's eyes, "What the bloody fuck is this?" "Pick a flavour You-nii. And finish all of it's kind." "Or else?" Suzuna went up to Hiruma and whispered something into his ear, and whatever it was that she said made his eyebrow twitch.

o.o.o

Everyone was staring at Hiruma, who was gritting his teeth and gripping his head in one hand and the armrest with his other; shaking. "Hi-hiruma-san? Are you okay?" asked Sena, reaching out to him. But just then, he got up, pulled out an AK-47 and started shooting the ceiling, "GET THE BLOODY FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!" And no one needed to be told twice.

Mamori closed the door and went back to the living room. Hiruma was sitting again, tapping his fingers furiously on the table. His eyes were wide open, staring at nothing, and he was still vibrating. Not knowing what to do, Mamori set to clearing up the room, glancing at Hiruma every now and then. When she was coming back from the kitchen, she was surprised to discover that he was no longer in the living room. "Hiruma-ku..?" "Do you like games?"

The sudden hot breath in her ear made her jump. When she tried to turn around, his arms caught her and held her to his form, "Well then, why don't we play a little game, eh?" Hiruma pushed her against a wall, trapping her with her back to him. He teased her, resting his canines on the side of her neck. "Yoichi..." His hands danced and wandered over her form, remembering every curve. "Yoichi..!" He turned her around, gazing into her pleading blue eyes, catching her lips in his. She was unable to stop him, unsure even if she wanted to. She had kept him waiting for so long, so... "Do you like me dangerous?" ...why couldn't he wait a little longer?

"Yoichi! Pl-... Stop!"

By then, her shirt had been pulled up and thing's were becoming steamy. Her hair was a mess and Hiruma's shirt was half-way unbuttoned. His eyes were burning through her, and she couldn't look at him directly, "Please... stop..." For several tense moments, Hiruma just continued to gaze at her, then he suddenly gave her this big, childish grin and gave her a small kiss on her forehead, "Did you actually think I was gonna do something to you?" "W-what?" Taking a step away from her, he stuck out his tongue, "Fooled you," and he walked casually back to the living room.

At first, Mamori was too stunned to do anything, but as the haze in her mind faded, she found another emotion rising. Pulling her shirt back down, she felt her face flush as she ran after him, "Hiruma!!!"

Hiruma ran into his room and locked the door, and laughed his heart out as she pounded on his door, "I'm gonna get you for that!!!"

And oh, how she did.

o.o.o

He awoke at first light, as he always did, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and pushing his hair out of his eyes. Yawning, he walked to his bathroom and-

"ANEZAKI!!!"

* * *

_Yes, I'm cutting this off here. Why? Because I'm not a nice person and this thing is long enough. Muahahahaha! R&R please!_


	21. Hairdye Anyone?

_Me is back! -clears throat-straightens shirt-... OMG!! Me has over 100 reviews!!! SHRIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEK!!!_

_H: -falls out of chair-climbs back up- Crazy bitch... Why are you even adding in these stupid extras? I bet no one even reads them!_

_D: -vein pop-brings out flamethrower-_

_H: E-gad, woman! Where are you getting your artillery?! -hides behind chair-  
_

_D: Your private stock._

_H: What?!_

* * *

Hiruma stormed out of his room, fuming, "ANEZAKI! WHERE ARE YOU?!!"

"Really! Yelling so early in the morning, you'll wake up the neighbors!" said Mamori, coming out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on her apron. She switched on the living room lights, she turned to see Hiruma, who had his arms crossed. The moment she saw him, she gasped exaggeratedly, bringing her hand up to her heart and said in a mock surprise tone, "Hiruma-kun! What _have_ you done with your hair?" "What have I done? What have _I_ done?! Hah!" Hiruma threw his hands in the air and rested them on his hips. Mamori folded her arms and arched an eyebrow, "Are you implying that you believe _I_ did it?" "Who else would do it if not you?!" "Well then maybe next time you'll watch yourself when you're teasing," she said, a smile on her face. She walked up to Hiruma and placed a quick kiss on his frowning lips, "At least it matches your eyes."

o.o.o

"You can't stay mad at me forever Hiruma-kun."

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

"So you're gonna stay angry at me by starving yourself?"

"I was fine even before you came into my life."

"Yeah, you got better _after_ I came into your life."

"You could've at least done something that wasn't long-lasting!"

"I wanted to try something original!"

"Dying my hair bright green?! Oh right, real mature."

"You're one to talk."

"How the fuck do you expect me to go coach those accursed adolescents?!"

'Ah, he quit the fashion industry cuz people started thinking he was turning gay...' (-maniacal laughter-) "I'll start contributing ideas after you eat that waffle."

"And to think I have to wait a whole week before redying it black..." he muttered, chomping on the food. "You could just stay home," said Mamori, resting her head in her hand. She was actually having trouble resisting laughter, he insides were tingling; seeing Hiruma with green hair was not something easy to get over, 'Maybe next time I should paint his face too...' she thought. "What are you grinning to yourself for?" he snapped. "Oh, nothing..." she said, still smiling.

"You know you're not going to get away with this, right?" Mamori stopped smiling and looked straight into his eyes, "And what could you be planning?" "You're a _woman_ that lives alone with me, I can do so many things to you," he said, taking his turn to grin. 'pervert...' she thought, then got up and walked to her room. When she came back out, she tossed a black bandanna with white patterns at him, "You can tie that on if you're leaving the house. I have a few others... which you can borrow after you ask me for them," she added the last part in fear of having Hiruma lurking in her room.

"Well, I'm off to the daycare," she announced, releasing her hair from the bun and untying her apron. Taking her coat, Mamori placed a kiss on the side of his nose and ruffled his hair, "Have a nice day, grass-head!"

"Anezaki!"

o.o.o

"Ano... Hiruma-sensei?"

"What?" he snapped.

"Well, we were wondering... well, actually, I was wondering..."

"Spit it out, Aogiri."

"Um... is something wrong with your, er, hair?" Aki wasn't feeling very comfortable now. Hiruma looked right at him from the corner of his narrowed eye and raised an eyebrow, "Why?" Aki was beginning to feel flustered, "Well, I, well, no one's ever seen you wear anything on your head besides a helmet so, uh..." "I can wear whatever I want whatever I want. Go do ladder drills!" and he finished his order with a spray of bullets. Dropping down on the bench, he laid his gun by his side and picked up Yuna's notes, 'Damn fucking manager with her damn fucking tricks...'

o.o.o

Practice was over and Hiruma was in the clubhouse office, a room they had added in his third year of high school. His feet were up on the table and he was sifting through information on the teams they would be going against soon when he came across something else which made him quirk a brow, 'A letter?' Bringing his feet down, he leaned his elbows on the desk, 'Tamada Yuna, meet me on the roof after school practice... hm, there's no sign either...' and a grin spread on his face, 'That fucking carrot-top finally decided to make a move,' he thought, leaning back, "He better not let this get in the way of the Christmas Bowl or I'll kill 'im.'

Hiruma looked up and gazed at the aconite plant on the edge of the desk; it was the only flower he would allow, since it was poisonous. Though not breathtaking, it was still beautiful and with the soft sunlight streaming in from the window, every detail of the blossoms were highlighted and it seemingly glowed subtly. Plus, it's shades of purple wasn't prominent nor inconspicuous, so it wasn't an eyesore to him. 'Hm... purple, eh?'

x.x.x

Mamori suddenly felt a cold chill down her spine and she shuddered.

"What's wrong, Mamori-sensei?" asked Satsuki, pulling on her skirt.

"I don't know, I just... felt a chill."

x.-_all thoughts belong to Hiruma, tq-_.x

Hiruma was hiding by the water tank on the roof, chewing gum and leafing through the latest Amefuto Monthly when he heard the door beneath him open, 'Target has arrived.' He peered down the edge and saw Yura fidgeting by the rail, "I wonder if she'll show..." 'Of course she'll show. She's an idiot if she doesn't,' he rolled his eyes.

A few minutes passed before the door opened again, 'Finally!' "Ta-takeda-kun?" "Tamada-san!" they both seemed nervous and no eye contact was made. "I... I got a message and it said to come here, but I think it was mistaken... see you tomorrow!" and she turned to leave. "No, wait!" Yura panicked and ran after her, grabbing her forearm, "I... I have something I need to confess." 'Yeah, he shaved your cat, killed it and threw it into the river...' he snickered quietly to himself. (I can never stay serious, can I?)

"Yes?" there was hope written all over her face.

"I... I like you. I really, really... like you," and he released Yuna, unable to look at her in the eyes. 'Oh, am I supposed to gasp at this point?'

"Takeda-kun... I..." she too looked down, clasping her hands to her chest, "I like you too." At this point, they both looked at each other and smiled. Yura, nervously put his hand in his pocket and scratched the back of his head with the other, "So, uh, you wanna go have dinner... somewhere? My treat." She took his hand in hers and said, "Let's go, I know this really good restaurant down the street." "Sweet," and together, they left the roof.

'Cliche. Now, I'm gonna go get the props for my get-back plan,' and a huge maniacal grin stretched on his face.

o.o.o

Mamori stretched and got out of bed, tying up the curtains and making her bed. It was still dark outside, she had gotten into the habit of waking up before Hiruma. Satisfied, she went into bathroom and switched on the light. She stared in wide-eyed horror at her reflection in the mirror and stood panic-stricken by the door, grabbing her hair and staring at it before letting out an ear-piercing scream. (ah, poor neighbors.)

"So, do you like the surprise?"

Mamori spun around and saw Hiruma sitting in the darkest corner of her room, arms and legs crossed with a smug look on his face.

"Wha-wha?"

He merely shrugged, "Purple suits your eyes."

* * *

_Wahahahaha!! I loved this chapter!!! I'm really cracking now... I know, it's short, so I'll try to make the following chapters longer, kay? __I got the aconite idea from 100days Livejournal, not mine. __R&R please! XD_


	22. Resolve

_Muahahaha! Yes, I am evil!!! And I chose such awesome colors, no?_

_H: I can't believe you did that to me..._

_D: Be glad its not pink._

_H: -gasp-_

* * *

The moment Hiruma pulled his bandanna off, Musashi lost his cool and burst out laughing, earning himself a glare from Hiruma.

They were sitting in 'Mornin' Cloud' with their usual beverages and Musashi too, had wanted to know why Hiruma was wearing a bandanna and Hiruma had told him about Mamori's little revenge.

Musashi was gripping his sides and lying his head on the table, his face turning red. "Yes, it's very amusing, isn't it?" the vein in Hiruma's temple was throbbing, "Do I need to shoot you to make you stop?" Musashi straightened up, a big grin still on his face, "What did you do to provoke her into –haha- dying your –ahaha- ha-ha-hair?" "Nothing unusual." "It must have been bad, why else would she do something like that?" But Hiruma merely shrugged. Musashi sighed and realized something, "What did you do to her after that?" And Hiruma merely grinned.

x.x.x

"Mamo-nee! What happened to your hair?!"

"Oh, just another little fight, it's no big deal."

"You-nii did that to you?? Why?!"

"Well, I started this hair-coloring business, he was just getting back at me," said Mamori, resting her chin on her hand and closing her eyes. "... what color is _his_ hair?" asked Suzuna, leaning back on the armchair in Mamori's living room. Mamori smiled, "A beautiful bright green."

Her friend sighed, shaking her head, "So, what do you plan on doing next?"

And Mamori gave Suzuna her scariest smile, "I have something planned." 'I can't imagine the relationship between these two...' thought Suzuna.

x.o.x (those aren't hugs and kisses, mind you.)

Hiruma awoke one morning and went into the (ever eventful) bathroom and growled. Stuck on the (fateful and magical) mirror was a picture of him asleep wearing make-up with pink ribbons and flowers in his hair. In the corner of the picture, Mamori had scribbled a 'XP'.

"... Fucking bitch."

And the next day, Mamori found a picture of _her_ asleep in an embarrassing position with creampuff crumbs on her lips, a mustache and a beard scribbled on her face.

This turn of events lasted for at least another week, from Mamori stealing his gum and Hiruma smuggling her creampuffs to Mamori coloring his favorite black T-shirt pink and Hiruma painting her favorite apron with Playboy bunnies. (Muahahahahaha!!! XD) The day Hiruma put spiders in her drawers, they sat at the kitchen table facing each other. "We have to stop some time, Hiruma-kun," said Mamori, her arms crossed and her face flushed. They had spent the entire morning catching the spiders with Hiruma laughing his head off when she screamed at one of the creatures in her hair.

"You're the one who was so determined on getting your 'revenge'," he said, leaning on the back legs of the chair with his feet on the table and his hands behind his head. They had both returned their hair to the original colors but then, "I don't have time for this fucking manager, my team has a game against Bando in an hour." 'I need to get to the daycare too,' thought Mamori, standing up, "Fine, we'll settle this after work." "Fine by me," he replied, slamming his chair down and grabbing his duffel bag before walking out, "See you at six."

o.o.o

Mamori arrived home five minutes before six and found the apartment dark, "I'm home. Hiruma-kun?" 'That's strange, you'd expect him to be home by now...' Suddenly, the lights slowly brightened and music began to play.

'_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_'

Unable to resist smiling, Mamori dropped her bag and placed a hand on her hip, "Is this a set-up?" "Why, whatever do you mean?" Mamori turned to see Hiruma standing behind her, leaning against the wall, "If I can recall," he snaked an arm around her waist and whispered into her ear, "you wanted to settle this," and he placed a kiss right by her ear.

'_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_'

"You're just sucking up to me to get out of trouble," said Mamori, sliding her arms around his neck and leaning back against him. He brushed his lips by her neck and she giggled.

'_Well, every moment spent with you_

_Is a moment I treasure_'

"What's with the horny music?" she asked, snuggling into the crook of his neck. "It was too quiet," he replied, picking her up bridal style and walking over to the sofa, where he sat with her on his lap. "Now what?" "Can you do a lap dance?" Mamori blushed and punched him playfully, "Pervert."

'_I don't wanna close my eyes__I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_...'

"You can turn off the music now," said Mamori, shifting into a more comfortable position and wrapping her arms around Hiruma's torso. "Only if we make our own noise," he said, a grin plastered on his face as he switched off the music player. Mamori blushed again, "My boyfriend is definitely a pervert..." and Hiruma let out a bark of laughter, tilting her chin up and capturing her lips.

"Does that mean I have to remove the bucket of mud on your door?"

"..."

o.o.o

Mamori awoke the next morning in her own room, Hiruma's warm embrace replaced by sheets. After a little make-out session and a quick dinner (not to forget the removal of the mud-bucket), they had fallen asleep on the sofa. 'He must have carried me in earlier...' she thought, combing her hair back into a high ponytail and entering the bathroom, this time without the worry of anything out of the ordinary happening.

Dressing in a soft yellow long-sleeve and blue jeans, Mamori left her room and saw Hiruma sitting at the kitchen table with his coffee and holding something in his hand. Mamori went up to him and placed a kiss on his cheek, "Morning Yoichi," she seated herself beside him, "What's that?" Hiruma gave her a grin, "See for yourself," and handed her the photo. Mamori blinked several times, it was a photo of them asleep on the couch. "We should lock the door more often, that fucking old man has a fetish for pictures of us sleeping," he said, sipping his coffee.

o.o.o

Hiruma was in the clubhouse, typing away on his laptop, when he received a message on his phone from Musashi, '_Planned it yet?_' Hiruma smirked, sending his reply, '_Target locked and acquired. I just need to pull the trigger._' A few moments later, '_You better hurry before your prey escapes._' Hiruma rolled his eyes, '_Tonight, fucking old man. Tonight._'

x.x.x

'I have a feeling someone's planning something that involves me...' thought Mamori, gazing out of the window.

* * *

_Oh? And what happens tonight? You'll find out in the next chapter! XD R&R please!_


	23. A Little Piece of Bread

_Hm... what should I put up in my extra this time?_

_H: You don't need a fucking extra._

_D: All the more reason for me to put one!_

_H: I hate you._

_D: I don't!_

_H: I sti__l__l hate you!!_

_D: I'll tell everyone about your te-_

_H: GAH!! Don't!!! –clamps hand over DC's mouth-_

_D: ... –bite-_

_H: -cringe- I'm not letting go._

_D: -holds up lighter to Hiruma's hand-_

_H: FUCK! –retracts and grabs with other hand-crouches in sulking corner-muttering-_

_D: ... on with the show!_

'_blablabla_' _- text messages._

* * *

'_I'm picking you up after work. Make sure those __little __minions don't see me coming.'_

'...minions...'

Mamori sighed, a small smile on her face as she kept her cellphone. Is was raining outside and once again, Mamori found herself fiddling with her locket, 'What are you planning, Yoichi?'

"Mamori-sensei?"

"Yes, Yuki?" she asked, turning her attention to the little brunette.

"You-nii's coming to pick you up later, isn't he?"

Mamori was dumbstruck.

x.o.x (Again, not hugs/kisses! I have an aversion towards touching!! –runs off-)

When all the kids had gone home, Mamori went back into the classroom and started clearing up, "They're gone, Hiruma-kun. You can come down now." (I'm gonna bet, you're all like '?? Down??', right?) Hiruma jumped down from his perch in the airshaft, landing smartly and dusting his jacket, "So, those twerps are all gone?" "Every last one," confirmed Mamori, returning the last of the books to the shelf, "So, are we going somewhere?" "I was thinking of going to the MC, just for the heck of it," he said, placing his hands in his pockets and shrugging dismissively.

Mamori put on her coat and latched onto his arm, "Then let's go."

o.o.o

"Evenin' chaps! Need a lil' warmin' up?" greeted Max, wiping a glass.

"Hi Max!" Mamori gave him a smile and a wave, "Just thought we'd drop by."

"Aye, I'll get the usual, eh?"

As Hiruma was passing, he made eye contact with Max, who raised a questioning brow. Hiruma gave him a small, barely visible nod, then followed Mamori to the back booth. "I best get ready then," said Max softly, placing the glass on the counter top.

When Mamori and Hiruma were leaving, Max slipped a small white package into Hiruma's coat pocket, "Good luck, sonny."

o.o.o

"Hiruma-kun, look! The sky's clearing, we can see the stars!"

"What, haven't you seen any stars before in your life? What about that camping trip we had?"

Mamori was too occupied to notice what he said, so sighing, he dropped down on a bench and watched her, a smug grin on his face. She turned to look at him and pouted, "What are you grinning at?" Still grinning, he shrugged, leaning back and turning to face the sky, "I was just thinking..." Mamori raised an eyebrow questioningly, walking over and seating herself beside him, "About what?" Hiruma glanced at her from the corner of his eye, before returning his sight to the sky, "Look, the moon's out." Mamori turned to face the sky too, "But it's not full." "Crescents are nice too." "Hn..." She leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist, but he didn't respond. "Hiruma-kun?"

Hiruma reached into his pocket, hesitating for a few moments before taking out the white package. "What's that?" Hiruma gave her a slight smile, handing it over to her, "Just in case you got hungry." "But we just ate!" "One more crossaint won't make you fat, fucking manager." Mamori pouted, but took it from him anyway, "You wanna share?" 'Exactly what I expected.' "sure, why not," he said, with a shrug. Mamori proceeded in unwrapping the crossaint and breaking it (or is that tearing it??) in half...

... and a shining object fell onto her lap.

Mamori stared at it, setting the two pieces of bread aside, "... Yoichi?" she turned to face him, only to find that he was gazing right at her, the smile still playing on his face. She turned to look at the object again, her eyes beginning to feel hot as her lips formed her own smile, "You had it _baked_ in a piece of _bread_??" The plain silver band was shining in the moonlight, and on the inner side, three words had been carved in: "_To_... _My Angel_..." "Heh, yeah... so..." Hiruma took it from her, blushing slightly as he went down on one knee, 'Its gonna be worth it... its gonna be worth it...' "Will you marry me?"

Mamori covered her face, words failing her. She lowered her hands and looked right at the man she had loved for the past ten years of her life, "What kind of question is that?" The moment he slipped the ring on her finger, Mamori threw her arms around him and a tear escaped her eyes, "I thought you'd never ask." Hiruma pulled back a little, wiping the tears from her face, "I was waiting for the right moment," and pressed his lips against her; their first kiss as an engaged couple.

o.o.o

That night, as Mamori was about to go to bed, she thought, 'I wonder what Suzuna will say about this.' Whilst in Hiruma's room, Musashi had already been informed.

'_Did __u ask her yet?_'

'_She accepted_.'

'_:D U__ nvr let __ur prey escape_.'

'_:P How'__re u n__ Kaoru doing?_'

'... _she called it off_.'

'_Y_'

'_She fnd sum1__ else_.'

'_F'kin__ bitch dsn't knw w__at she's thrwing away_.'

'_I'll find sum1__ else_.'

'_Do d othrs knw ab__t it yet?_'

'_Yeah. I told them while __u were out with Anezaki_.'

'_Do __u sti__ll plan on calling her that aft__ we get married?_'

'_Perhaps_. -.-'

'_Ah, __I feel for __u f'kin old man, but I need sum sleep_. _Dun get drunk on it_.'

'_I knw wat hppns 2 me whn I drink, I'm nt s2pid_.'

'_Ur nt?? ._ (that's eye rolling, if u dunno.) _Well, catch ya ltr old man_.'

'_I'd wish u'd get ur throat slit while u sleep, but that wld jst make ur fiance upset, so, g'nite_.'

'_Asshole XP_'

* * *

_Hua!! It's so friggin' short! I'm dead tired, so I think I'm gonna leave this here... -.-" Nitey-nite! R&R please! XD_


	24. Just another day

_-ducks behind box-raises right hand wearing brown sock-_

_Bsock: Hello, I'm an elephant seal. Can you tell by my floppy nose? But for some reason, I'm really slim, no?_

_D: -raises left hand wearing brown sock with yellow spots-_

_Ssock: Hye, readers! I am a leopard seal and I like penguins! –closes in- Do you have any pengui-?_

_H: What in hell's name are you doing _now

_D: -peeks out from behind box-gets up hurriedly-hides socks behind back- Nothing._

_H: ... are those my socks?_

_D: -guilty look-raises 'elephant seal'- 'No.'_

_H: ..._

"_blablabla_" – person on the other line (phone conv.)/announcements

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" _(Woah! That was fun! XD)

Mamori held the phone away and cringed, her ear still throbbing. If this was Elaine's reaction, she couldn't imagine Nikki and Suzuna's. Ah, those two would make such good friends, "Elaine, no so loud! Its night here!" Mamori whispered urgently (and they're speaking English, durh.).

"_Oh, right, sorry! Waa—why did he take so long?? I've been waiting everyday for you to make that announcement!! And you haven't been calling me lately either, you're so cruel!!_"

"Sorry, I've never had the time. We _do_ live in different time zones."

"_Well, that's true... Ok, I want all the details, you hear me? Even the littlest ones!"_

"Yes, yes... okay, it started after work..."

"_Oh, wait! Let's get Nikki to join too!_"

'Oh my...'

o.-two and a half hours later-.o

Mamori dropped back on her bed, tossing her phone aside. Elaine had a lot to say, and when combined with Nikki, with more screaming, it seemed like she would never be able to catch any sleep. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and stretching, 'I should get to sleep...' but then, a smile stretched across her face, 'Oooh! But I'm still so giddy! We already live together, but to be married to him...' Mamori turned on her side and gazed at the moon 

outside, fiddling with her locket, "Hiruma Mamori... that's gonna need a little getting used to," she mumbled, giggling.

"I think it sounds just fine."

Mamori turned to her other side, facing the door. She was surprised to see Hiruma leaning against her door frame, "I could hear you from my room. Finally decided to stop frying your brain cells?" he asked casually, arms crossed. Mamori sat up, a pout on her face, "Was I really loud enough to keep you awake?" Hiruma came over and sat on the corner of her bed, "Not really... it just wasn't coming to me."

Mamori crawled over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and leaning on his back, "Do you wanna watch a movie?" "By the time the movie ends, it'll be dawn. How do you expect to go to work without any sleep?" "Oh, come on. Got any better suggestions?" Hiruma tilted his head back slightly, lightly touching hers, "Fine, but I'm picking the movie."

He picked 'Mr.&Mrs. Smith', because Mamori wouldn't allow horror movies and he didn't want any sappy romance films. Whilst they were watching, Hiruma decided to tease Mamori a little, "Hey, you're not hiding any weapons in the oven, are you?" Mamori, who was resting her head on his lap, pinched his thigh. "Ow! Hey, there's no need to do that!" he protested, jerking his thigh up slightly. She just laughed softly.

Some time later, Mamori turned to look up at him, "Ne, Yoichi?" "What?" "If that was us, would you shoot me?" Hiruma smirked at her, but not the usual demonic smirk, "With real ammo? I don't think so." Mamori smiled. She reached up and placed her hand on his nape, pulling him closer for a gentle kiss, "I love you, Yoichi." "Same here, fucking manager. Oh, by the way?" "Yeah?"

"When you call the fucking roller blades, make sure I'm not around."

o.the next day.o

Hiruma had just left for work, and Mamori had finished washing the dishes. She glanced up at the clock, 'Hm, I still have time.' She went over to her phone and dialed Suzuna.

"_Hello?_"

"He proposed."

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"_

'Ah, here we go again.'

By the time Mamori left the apartment, she had just enough time to get to the daycare. She glanced up at the hazy morning sky, 'I wonder when it's going to snow...' And it was then that she remembered something.

x.o.x

Hiruma sighed as the elevator doors opened, dragging his feet to his apartment, mumbling to himself, "Today was so troublesome. That fucking idiot, how dare he splash juice on me?! Argh, I made him pay! And I'll make him pay even more tomorrow, just you wait! I'll-" Hiruma was just about to open the door when he was cut off, something wasn't right. He felt shivers running up his spine, slowly pushing the door open. He was greeted by Mamori, who was smiling grimly, "Welcome home, Yoichi. How was your day?" He didn't like that tone in her voice, "Some asshole splashed some juice on me, other then that, nothing special." "Oh, really?" She was still smiling, and Hiruma was becoming increasingly uneasy, "What is it?" "Do you know what day it is?" "Well, if I'm not wrong, it's a Monday." "For one thing, its not. And there's something you forgot about today." "...What?"

"I have your Santa Claus suit ready for you."

"Oh, fuck."

Mamori went over to the couch and reached over it, "Since you're so slim, I sew paddings in on the inside to make you look fat. I even got the white wig and beard for you," she said, holding up the said items. The feeling of dread in the pit of Hiruma's stomach vanished, promptly replaced by depression and deep self-contempt, 'Why ever did I make that stupid swear...' "Aw, are you taking back your words, You-chan?" teased Mamori, hugging the jacket to herself. Hiruma quirked an eyebrow, frowning slightly, "What's with the stupid nickname?" Mamori dropped the suit on the back of the sofa, leaning back on it, "I think its sounds cute. Suzuna has a special nickname for you, why can't I use one?" He crossed his arms, "Isn't using my first name enough?" "The nickname _you _gave_ me _has a swear word, Hiruma-kun. And I was _not_ fine with that," she added the last part before he could retort. Hiruma huffed, throwing his hands up, "Fine! Geez, first, there was the bunny suit, then I became a quiz host complete with top hat and goofy glasses. This morning I was turned into Barney, came home to be told I'm being sentenced as Santa Claus, and now my fucking fiance is naming me after a cartoon character!" "There's a cartoon character named 'You-chan'?" "How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

Hiruma dropped down on an armchair and rested his chin in his palm. Mamori walked over and sat on the armrest, "I don't remember you dressing up as Barney this morning." "It was grape juice." Mamori burst out laughing, falling on Hiruma and wrapping her arms around his waist, "No wonder you changed! You were wearing those white sweats today, weren't you?" "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and laugh your head off, see if I care." "Oh, come on, grasshead! Don't be so grumpy!" Hiruma frowned even harder, "Shut it. My hair's not green anymore." Mamori looked up at Hiruma's face for a few moments, before looking at his torso. His shirt was pulled up a bit, revealing a fraction of skin. An idea lighted in her mind and she grinned, "Laugh." "What?" He glanced down at her, but she just kept grinning, "I said, laugh." "I'm not in the mood to-!" Mamori jabbed his side and he flinched, tensing up immediately and stopping in mid-sentence. "Don't." She jabbed him again, but this time, he resisted. Refusing to give up, she pulled his shirt up and nuzzled the top of her head against his stomach. Hiruma sat up straight, vibrating with laughter, "H-hey! S-s-stop!! Haha! Don't!!" He attempted to push her off, but failed, since his arms were shaking as well. So, he resorted to the only other option: bringing her down with him.

She squealed as dropped onto the floor, Hiruma landing above her. He had a triumphant smirk on his face, and he cracked his knuckles, "Payback time."

The two continued rolling onto each other again and again, until in the end, Hiruma bumped his head against the coffee table. He groaned, dropping down beside her on the carpet, the both of them gasping for breath. "We are _not_ doing that again," gasped Hiruma, rubbing the bump on his head, "Damn... we should just get rid of that thing or something." "Don't be ridiculous! I'll get you some ice... geez, you've turned into a wimp after all these years without American Football," she was about to get up, but Hiruma grabbed hold of her wrist, "No need, I'll be fine. Is dinner ready?" "Yea, I'll need to heat up the chicken for a bit, though. Would you mind setting the table?" "What if I said I did?" "Don't make me hurt you."

o.o.o

A while later, whilst Mamori was storing the leftovers in the refridgerator, she called out, "Hiruma-kun, no man has ever been shot while doing the dishes, so could you?" "Hahaha, very funny. I've had enough laughing for one day, fucking manager," but he still came over to do it. "Thanks, You-chan," she said, smiling sweetly, "But you're still wearing that suit tomorrow, okay?" "Darn. Oh, by the way?" "Yeah?"

"I have an owie on my head, can you kiss it better?"

Mamori nearly dropped the bowl of soup.

* * *

_Sooososo sorry bout the late update! I've been getting ready to go back to school, and I haven't had much inspiration lately. I'm not sure when my other updates will be, cuz I'll be _really_ busy so, _please_ forgive my tardiness! Toodles! R&R please!_


	25. Santa and Marriage

_Soooososo sorry about the late update! I already wrote it all down sometime before coming home for the hols, but I lost my draft, so I've been rewriting everything I could remember. Gomenasai!_

_On with the show!_

* * *

Mamori kept the last dish in the cabinet and pulled off her rubber gloves, glancing at her watch and undoing her apron, "You can't stay in there forever, Hiruma-kun."

"I am NOT coming out in this fucking suit!" came his muffled reply.

Mamori huffed and stood outside his door, her arms crossed, "You're the one who said you'd do it if it didn't snow."

"It's not like those fucking chibis even heard me."

They were both silent for a few moment, save for the (almost) inaudible curses emitting through the door.

"... since when did the devil go back on his words?" The silence rang in her ears with more curses, until she heard him say, "The door's not locked." A small smile spread on her face and she opened the door, the only light streaming in from the rising sun through the open window. Hiruma always did like the darkness. She switched a lamp on, sending rays of amber across the room.

He was standing by his floor-length mirror, a scowl on his face as he faced her. "You took off the padding, didn't you?" "If you want a bloody fat Santa, get the fucking fatty to do it." He just had to be petty about things like this. Mamori sighed, walking up to him and making adjustments to the suit. You're not even going to wear the beard and wig, are you?" "Damn right I'm not." She rolled her eyes and straightened up, dusting her hands, "What time are you coming around?"

"I need to be at the clubhouse, for morning practice, I'll be there some time later."

"As long as you turn up, it's fine with me."

x.o.x

"Ne, Hiruma-sensei, what's in the box?"

"None of your business, fucking red. Go look into the Hashiratani Deers, we'll be up against them soon," snapped Hiruma, not taking his eyes of his laptop. She nodded curtly, then got up and went to the storage room to look for videos and files.

The moment he heard the door click shut, Hiruma stopped typing and sighed, leaning back against his chair. He looked out the window then, and raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

o.o.o

Mamori was watching the kids play, a smile on her face as she twiddled a pen between her fingers. She saw movement outside the window, and she turned to face it. Getting up and walking over to the sill, she glanced up at the sky to see great flakes of white snow drifting slowly to the Earth. She didn't know whether her spirits had just been sucked up or down, but she pulled out her cellphone.

o.o.o

'_It looks like you won't have to come over after all, Hiruma-kun.'_

Hiruma flipped his phone shut and returned his gaze to the falling flakes. He could see the box out of the corner of his eye.

'... I hate what you do to me, fucking woman.' And he stood.

o.o.o

All the kids were running around outside, trying to catch the many droplets of frozen water. Mamori stood by the school building, a small smile on her face as she watched the children play. The other teachers weren't as lenient as she was and wouldn't let the children out _just_ yet. It was too early, they said. Since she didn't want them to think she was slacking, she called them back in after five minutes, and they all trudged in, noses red and cheeks flushed.

Chattering cheerfully, little Keiko went ahead with Mimi. They were happily giggling when they entered the class, but they suddenly went silent; before releasing shrill screams of delight. Curious, all the other children rushed in to see what was going on; and also started screaming (in those high pitched voices of theirs).

Mamori quirked an eyebrow and jogged over to class.

"Hohoho! Merry Christmas, my dear chilldren!"

Yuki giggled, "No Santa, its not Christmas yet! And its 'children', not 'chilldren'!"

'You bloody twerps definitely give me the chills.' "Oh really now? Well, since you're such a smart little girl, what would you like for Christmas, eh?"

"Ooh! I want a big dolly!"

"I want a dinosaur!"

"I want a pony!"

"I want a bicycle!"

"But I wanted a bicycle!"

"I said it first, so there!"

"Now, now children," interrupted Mamori, as she came in with a smile on her face, "If you're not nice, Santa will give all of you chunks of coal. You don't want that, now do you?"

The kids gasped with horror-stricken faces, "NO!"

"Then line up and ask Santa nicely when its your turn, okay?"

"Yes, Mamori-sensei," chorused the class.

Mamori dusted the snow off her skirt and settled down on her desk chair. Hiruma had reinserted the paddings in the suit, and was wearing both the wig and the beard, even adding a pair of glassless glasses to make himself even more unrecognizable. Plus, the beard masked his grimace as he mumbled curse after curse.

-almost half an hour later-

Mamori stood up and clasped her hands loudly, "Alright kids, I think Santa has had enough on his list to memorize." She caught Hiruma's glare, 'Finally!' "Come on, naptime, naptime!" she ushered them to a corner littered with blankets and pillows, of which the children pounced on excitedly (like ravenous creatures, content on ripping their prey to- **Can you _not_ be ridiculous? **Uh... no. **... **).

A few minutes later, the room was filled with gentle breathing and soft giggling of innocent children with pleasant dreams of Christmas. Hiruma returned from the bathroom with the suit back in the box, removing the glasses and running a hand through his messy hair, "So, the greedy monsters are finally unconscious?" "That's one way of putting it."

He dropped the box on her desk and rubbed his face, "Those kids are in for a surprise when they don't get what they want on Christmas." "I'll tell them to write a note for Santa so he wouldn't forget and give it to their parents to post," she said, coming over to stand beside him, "That was nice of you to come." He grunted, staring out the window at the still falling snow.

"Why did you come?"

"Hn?"

"The bet was over when it started snowing; you didn't have to do it. So why did you?"

The shadows of the flakes drifted down his pale face in silence.

"Hiruma-kun?"

"I can do whatever I want, so don't push it."

"Okay, okay. Fine. But one thing, though."

"What?"

As Hiruma turned to face her, Mamori moved forward to place a kiss on his lips, "Thank you, Yoichi."

They both continued gazing outside, when a grin broke on Hiruma's face, "Bet you're glad I wasn't wearing that stupid beard just then, eh?"

"Oh, shut up."

"I think I swallowed a hairball."

"Hahaha, you're so funny I'm dying."

"Good, now I don't have to worry about wearing a turkey suit on Thanksgiving."

She hit him.

x.o-weeks later, Nikki's rented apartment-o.x

"Hey Frostbite, who are you inviting?"

"No one."

"What?? Don't you have family?"

"As if they care."

"Well, they definitely should! You're getting married, for heaven's sake!"

"There's only gonna be a bloody ceremony cuz the fucking manager wants one."

"She's not your manager anymore, you know."

"You think I give a damn?"

"Seriously Mamori, I don't know _what_ you see in this guy!" cried out and exasperated Nikki.

"Well, when you've been with him through the things we've been through, you might see him in a different light," said Mamori calmly, flicking through the cloth samples for the decorations.

"How the heck did you two get through so many things in just a few weeks??" asked Matt incredulously as he flipped through their to-do list.

"The only thing left for them to do is to find Mamori's wedding gown and a place to go to for their honeymoon," commented Elaine as she flipped a glossy page of the holiday destination magazine she was holding, "Ooh, how bout Switzerland? Since your wedding is near spring, I'm sure the view will be fantastic."

"Not much into the view," muttered Hiruma, who was typing away on his laptop.

"Hawaii?"

"Too normal. Practically everyone who's going on a honeymoon goes to Hawaii."

"... New York?"

"Too many people."

"Malibu?"

"I don't think so."

"You can't say no to _all _the places I suggest, Hiruma," said Elaine, a frown on her face, "I agree with Nikki, Mamori. I just can't understand what you see in him!"

Mamori dialled a number on her phone and called, "Hello? Mrs. Kiyomi? Yes, I found a sample I like. F23 and W18 would be a nice combination, don't you agree? Yes, thank you. Mhm. Alright, see you then, bye." Replacing her phone in her bag, Mamori closed the sample book and kept that too, "Love is blind."

"And it apparently numbed your other senses too, mainly your common sense!"

"Then yours should be too. When are _you_ planning to get married with Matt?" asked Mamori, with a smirk on her face.

Elaine blushed and fiddled with her ring, "In summer, on a beach by the setting sun."

"Oh, how sickeningly sweet," Hiruma popped the bubble he was blowing and grinned.

"Put a sock in it, you're not contributing anything," snapped Nikki.

Hiruma narrowed his eyes, stopped typing and looked right at her with a quirked eyebrow, "How're things with you and the fucking old man going?"

It was Nikki's turn to blush as everyone else around her grinned.

"I heard you two were out late last night?" queried Matt, nudging her with his shoulder.

"Oh, get out! We just went for a movie and dinner! Nothing out of the ordinary!" she protested, pushing him away.

"And what would 'ordinary' be for you?" asked Elaine innocently. And now, Nikki looked like a bright red tomato.

"No! It's different! I... it's not like that with him. Gen is different from the other guys I've gone out with." That extracted gasps from the rest.

"You're calling him by his first name now??"

"KYA!! I can't wait to see where this'll lead to!"

"You two are _so_ cute! What does _he _call you??"

"... Nichole."

The girls squealed and the guys covered their ears.

o.-the girls, the balcony-.o

They were sitting with steaming cups of cocoa, the sun setting in the distance and caressing the world in golden hues.

"You guys are going back after the wedding, right?" asked Mamori, plopping a marshmallow into her drink and blowing softly on its surface.

"Well, after you've gone on honeymoon, there's nothing much for us to do, now is there?" asked Elaine, a smile accenting her features.

"I'll be hangin' around for a bit. You know, staying over at... Gen's?" said Nikki, adding the last sentence quietly and watching her friends' reactions. They both looked at her with sly smiles.

"Ho... don't go doing anything naughty while we're not around, Nik. We'll still find out if you do," said Elaine, taking a sip of her drink.

"No, I'm not into this relationship for... that. I feel like... like I really want something from this, I really love this guy. I might even actually... I'm kind of hoping he'll want to settle down... you know?," she hid her face behind her mug, unable to look her friends in the eye, awaiting the laughter that was bound to ensue.

They didn't.

Instead, they just looked at her with soft smiles and gentle eyes. "I hope you get what you want. You both really deserve each other," said Mamori, resting her mug on her lap.

"Yea, I've seen the way he looks at you. Musashi's not one who goes after girls only for the chase," contributed Elaine, glancing down at her ring.

"But if you _do_ marry Musashi-kun, where are you two going to stay? London or Japan?" queried Mamori and causing Nikki to blush again, "Well I don't know, we only just started going out for a few weeks, I can't tell how long this is even going to last."

"Oh come on. Just the fact that _you_ stuck to _one_ guy without a sleeping with some other guy shows your 'loyalty'," joked Elaine, and they all laughed together.

"Hey Mamori, how's Suzuna and Sena doing? He's been dating her for how long and they _live together_ but he _still_ hasn't proposed??" asked Nikki, leaning forwards with her elbows propped on her knees.

"Well," Mamori swallowed a marshmallow, "Sena-kun is a little shy when it comes to things like this. And well, he says he'd rather watch _me_ get married first." They laughed together again.

"Why didn't she come along today?" asked Elaine, leaning back and placing her mug on the table to redo her ponytail.

"She and Sena went- oh? Hold on, my phone's ringing." Mamori reached into her bag and took out her phone, "Oh, speak of the miniature devil, here she is. Hello?"

"_OMiGodOMiGodOMiGod! MAMO-NEE?! OMiGodOMiGod!!_

_"YOU'LLNEVERBELIEVEWHATJUSTHAPPENEDTOMEOHI'MSOHAPPYICANFLY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! HETOOKMEOUTTOGETTHECAKEFORYUKI-SAN'SBIRTHDAYANDTHENHEBOUGHTANOTHERONE—didn't tell me why—ANDTHENHE—"_

"Suzuna-chan, calm down! I can't understand what you're saying at all! Now, what were you saying?"

"_Oh my God, Mamo-nee, Sena-kun proposed!"_

"What?! Congratulations! How did he do it?!"

"_Well, when we went to get the cake for Yuki-san's birthday, he bought another one—just because, he said—then we went over to that spot we always go to sit by the river. He gave me the cake box and told me to open it—and there it was! The baker placed the ring right at the centre! Oh my—it was so beautiful! When he went down on one knee, I almost cried! It was so—I'm just so happy!"_

"I'm happy for you too, Suzuna-chan!" and to her two curious friends, Mamori mouthed the words 'Sena proposed', much to their delight.

"_Right now we're in this really fancy Italian restaurant, 'our first dinner as fiancés' he says—oh, it's just so sweet of him! Oh my, he's back. I'll call you later, say 'hi' to You-nii and your friends for me! Bye!" _and she hung-up before Mamori could say anything back.

The three glanced at each other, and Nikki said, "Wow, I should get myself engaged before Suzuna gets married, otherwise I'll be left out of the circle."

x.o-Hiruma and Anezaki residence-o.x (hey, they're not married _yet_)

Mamori was in her room, gazing at a group photo they had all taken when she was introducing Matt, Nikki and Elaine to the rest of the gang, and where Nikki and Musashi first hooked up several weeks earlier. She flicked through the pages of the album in the moonlight, smiling at each, before closing it and replacing it on her shelf.

"Yes, Hiruma-kun?"

"Can't sleep?"

"I was thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing much."

"You can't lie to me, fucking manager."

"We're all growing up faster than we thought, huh?" She turned to face him.

Hiruma pushed himself away from the doorframe and came to stand beside her, looking out the window at the moon, "Faster than we think."

"Who'd have thought I'd end up with _you_ of all people."

He gave out a bark of laughter, "I don't care who thinks what," he snaked an arm around her waist, "All I'm thinking about is what I'm going to do to you after that stupid ceremony is over and we're alone." He planted a kiss on her head.

"Well, you'll just have to wait, now won't you?" she said, smiling smugly in response to his devious grin.

"Ah, get some sleep. You and those bitches are going shopping for that fucking princess costume of yours tomorrow, right?"

"Can't you ever be decent with your words?"

"Nope."

"If we have any kids, you'd better not use those words in front of them."

"Then let me use them as much as I want _before_ that then, eh?"

"Get out of my room, Hiruma-kun."

"Fucking make me," he pulled his arm away and crossed them in front of his lean chest.

Mamori grabbed him by the hair and kissed his lips, before biting his ear _hard_ and pushing him out, "Good night, Yoichi," and she closed the door quietly. Locking it.

'Keh, so much for the bark being worse than the bite,' thought Hiruma, caressing the bite mark.

* * *

-_streeetches fingers- _CRAKAKAKAKACK! CRAKAKAKAKACK! _Dang, I got a crick in my neck for sitting hunched over this laptop so long. I hoped you enjoyed it! I'll try to squeeze in the next chapter before I go back to school on the 8__th__. R&R please—!_


	26. Thee Only Do I Love

_Okay! I'm finally updating this thing!  
_

_Concerning this chapter: I have never ever been inside a wedding boutique or whatever you call those stores, so I'll just base it on whatsoever I picked up in random books I've read in the past (especially Meg Cabot's 'Queen of Babble', that was just… wow on the wedding gown info). Plus, I went to... about 10 different websites to design the right one.  
__Please alert me of any mistakes concerning the marriage, cuz I don't have the slightest idea about what the groom does. Besides standing, smiling at the bride with big goo goo eyes and saying 'I do'.  
I hope you don't mind me adding in the meanings of flowers, cuz I just have this need for other people to know them._

_Well, enough ranting. On with the show!_

* * *

"Mamo-nee, what do you think of this one?"

"It looks a bit flashy, don't you think?"

"What about this one? Its sexy!"

"The cut's too low; I don't want to show off too much skin."

"Well how much skin _do_ you want to show?"

"Just enough."

"Well that's not very helpful, is it?"

"Oh come on, I don't think there's anything 'just right' in this one either. Let's go take a breather—I saw an ice cream parlor around the corner," said Elaine, returning the dress to its peg. (A/N: If that's where they hang them…)

"Oh, ice cream! How would I survive without you?" gushed Nikki, as she took in a huge spoonful of Sassy Strawberry ice cream. Almost immediately, she dropped the spoon and pressed her fists to her temple, "Hain heeze!!" (Trans: Brain freeze!!)

"By not suffering its side effects, that's how," stated Elaine, taking in half a spoon of Forever Apricot.

"You know, for all the trouble we're going through for this, why not look for wedding gowns for the rest of us—we're all getting married soon anyway," mumbled Suzuna, picking out the bananas in her double scoop Vanilla Delight and piling it high with chocolate rice.

Mamori laughed, leaning back in her seat and picking the cherry off her Triple Fudge sundae, "Why, that's a great idea. Why not, eh?"

"Hey Mamori, could you pass me the strawberry sauce?" asked Nikki, fanning herself with a hand and motioning to the little pot by Mamori's elbow.

"You know, sometimes I think you're consuming more sugar than I am," she said while pushing the pot across the table.

"With all those cream puffs you're hogging up? I don't think so. By the way, you should cut down on those or you won't be able to fit into _any_ dress you buy!"

"Hey! I only had three yesterday, okay?"

"What about the day before?"

"…"

"You need help with your diet Mamo-nee. You need to maintain that shape if you're gonna look good on your wedding day," said Suzuna, scooping in ice cream that could just have been chocolate than it was vanilla.

"Well you're one to talk," muttered Mamori, setting her gaze on Suzuna as she chewed slightly and swallowed. Suzuna licked her front teeth with a contemplative expression before saying, "Needs some sauce. Which do you think is better, strawberry or chocolate? Or should I try both?"

The table stared at her in shocked silence.

"Oh come on, I was just kidding!"

o.o.o

"Hey, do you have a tux yet?"

"I'm renting one."

"People rent tuxes for other people's formal occasions and their proms, not their own weddings."

"What's the big difference? Besides, what am I supposed to do with the stupid penguin suit _after_ the wedding?"

"Keep it. At least you know what your son's gonna get one when he needs it."

"Very funny."

"We're all gonna be wearing tuxes."

"Rented tuxes."

"You can reuse it to a Christmas dance or something, just buy one!"

"Do I look like the richest person on Earth to you?!"

"Well it just so happens that I know of your gambling habits."

"… Sometimes, I do hate you."

"Why, thank you."

o.o.o

Mamori stared at herself, caressing the soft cream-colored chiffon with one hand and turning to see her back. (I shall describe it as best as I can!)

The Princess-line bodice of the mermaid-shaped dress had a Queen Anne collar that revealed just enough cleavage and a high back with fitting full-length, fitted point sleeves. Fine lace delicately embroidered the area from her bust to her waist. It had no waistline, flowing right down to her knees. The skirt flared elegantly where the bodice ended with a Chapel trail measuring 3ft from the waist.  
The bride-to-be pivoted slowly, basking in its soft glow.

"So, has our dear Mamori found the princess gown of her dreams?" asked Elaine, crossing her arms in satisfaction as she observed her friend's expression.

"I don't know _what_ to say…"

"You don't have to say anything. Just take out your checkbook and we're outta here!" announced Nikki, throwing her hands up, "Finally!!"

Mamori faced her reflection again, a flushed smile on the image's face. This was it.  
Definitely it.

x.x.x

Mamori closed the door with a soft 'click', locking it. Hiruma was home.

"I'm back," she announced, placing her keys on the table by the entrance and taking off her jacket.

"Took you long enough." Hiruma appeared from the kitchen holding a steaming mug. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans combo, his hair damp and a towel around his neck. "Found what you were looking for?"

Mamori smiled, "Yup," she grabbed both ends of the towel and pulled his face closer, "I found exactly what I was looking for," and took the mug from him, letting go off the fabric.

"Oi!"

"This isn't…" she took a quick sip, "..!" Mamori pivoted on her heels without spilling the drink and stared at Hiruma, who was standing with his arms crossed,

"You're drinking cocoa!?"

"Something wrong with that?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow and snatching the mug back, placing his lips exactly where she did and taking a swig.

"Well, no, but… just highly unexpected," she replied, scratching the back of her neck, "How long have you been home?"

"Long enough for me to shower. And we're out of black coffee. By the way, the fucking planner called, wanted to talk to you."

"What did she say?"

"Oh nothing in particular. But there's something I'd like to talk you about."

"What is it?"

Hiruma placed his mug on the counter and narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't remember agreeing to waltzing with the bride."

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"

"No it will not! I'm cancelling it!"

"Don't you dare!"

"I already did!"

"Then I'll just have to _un_-cancel it!"

"I will _not_ let you do that!"

"Can't you let things go _my_ way for once?"

"_Everything_'s been going your way since I met you again!"

"No it hasn't!"

"Oh yeah?"

Mamori hesitated for a moment, thinking back. "… Fine, maybe it has been. But that doesn't mean you can just go cancelling things!"

Hiruma sighed in exasperation, crossing his arms again, "Why do you want this stupid dance at the wedding so much anyway?"

She wrapped an arm around herself and used the other hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, "I… I just…"—sigh—"I don't know. I just thought it would be fun, is all."

He stared at her in silence, "I'm still against it."

"Fine. I'm gonna go freshen up," she said, walking past him. He heard shuffling sounds in her room for a while before the bathroom door shut with more force than it normally would, and Hiruma ran his fingers through his dark hair. His gaze shifted to his laptop, sitting idly on the coffee table in the living room (Why is it still there? Weren't we getting rid of that thing?). He walked over to it and dropped onto the couch, switching it on.

'Women.'

o.—_meanwhile_—.o

Mamori stood under the shower, face up and eyes closed, relishing the heat after a cold day. The hot water flowing all over had a calming effect, and she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Then, she opened her eyes and gazed at the showerhead, unseeing, 'Maybe I _have_ been pushing it. Hiruma's been treating me pretty nicely…' She sighed, running her hands through her hair. 'I guess I'll let him cancel it. This isn't necessary.'

After scrubbing herself clean, Mamori turned off the water tap and dried herself off. Dressing in a loose pajama top and a colorful sarong, towel on her head.

Outside, the house was uneasily quiet.

"Hiruma-kun?"

She found him sitting on the couch, gazing at the screen of his laptop somewhat thoughtfully.

"Hiruma-ku—?"

"You really want to waltz?"

The question somewhat caught her by surprise. "Wha—?" But she thought better of it and just nodded, uncomprehending.

"For fun, that's all?"

Again, she nodded.

He continued his silent contemplation, returning his gaze to the screen. Then, he sighed, "No harm to it then." He tapped a key on his laptop, stood and walked over to her, tossing his towel aside, "Better than having you pulling that horse face of yours all the time." Hiruma placed a hand on her waist and took her hand with the other, holding it to the side at eye level.

"Um… what are you doing?"

Hiruma didn't reply, maintaining a blank look on his face as he guided her with his steps, turning slowly and swaying to the soft music that began playing from his computer. Mamori, too, kept quiet, relaxing into the melody, feeling the flow of their bodies' motions. She placed her hand on her partner's shoulder and leaned against his well-toned chest. His hand slid up her back, holding her closer. The steady thump of Hiruma's heart against her chest lulled her into a daze.

At intervals, he would push her away and spin her around, before gently pulling her back, embracing her in his warmth. She faced up, looking straight into his eyes, and he tilted his head forward, allowing their foreheads to touch. His intoxicating breath enclosed her thoughts, and she gasped. Their steps ceased to gentle swaying, continuing 'til the last note faded away.

"The music stopped."

"Hn."

"Thank you, Hiruma-kun."

"Keh."

"We're really doing this aren't we—getting married?"

"Ah."

"You're not very responsive."

"So?"

She tightened her grip on his shoulder, tugging the hand intertwined with Hiruma's to her chest. He held her ever closer.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, looking up at his angular face, smiling a small smile, "Nothing at all."

x.—_and the day arrives_—.x

d.—_Narration_—.b

The wedding was to be held outside, in an American football field under the late afternoon sun. For a day so early in spring, it was pleasantly warm.

Hiruma hadn't been too keen… well, he hadn't been happy about it at all. 'A mockery to Amefuto', he said. But then, he seemed to develop an idea, and left the room grinning, 'It's alright, we can hold it there.'  
Mamori wasn't very comfortable with the way he had said it, but what could he possibly do? That man was and had always been completely unpredictable…

… and that was one of the many things that were attractive about him.

Sena and Suzuna were welcoming the guests. The guest list had been another thing that had needed placating on Hiruma's part. He hadn't (in exact words) given a fucking damn about the old Devil Bats coming. It was the fact that Suzuna had come up with the idea of inviting 'every fucking ass in every goddamned team' they had ever gone against while they were still in the old Devil Bats—before telling him/Mamori about it. He only calmed down (the teensiest bit) when she told him the only ones invited were the ones they had gone up against, so they needn't worry about the entire ex-Teikoku Alexander team present at the reception.

He was still mad though.

Beside the football field, Matt was tending to the food and beverages that had been prepared for the guests, making sure everything was in order. A dance floor had been set up as well (but no, Hiruma would not be dancing). A small orchestra sat to one side, also preparing for the event.

Plastic white chairs had been arranged into neat rows on either side of the carpet indicating the aisle. On each chair, there had been placed daffodils (for unrequited love), daisies (for loyalty) and pink roses (I love you still and always will) in random order with ribbon dyed the softest yellow. A small altar had been set at the end of the aisle, where the bride and groom would recite (A/N: I am sorry, but the correct word escapes me at this moment) their vows. Gossamer curtains of silk decorated the altar, wrapped and hanging from poles accentuated with ivy (for fidelity).

Behind the rows of chairs and on either side of the aisle were two tents; one for the bride and one for the groom.

Let's see how they're doing, shall we?

ox.—_the Bride_—.xo

Mamori stood before the full-length mirror, looking straight into the eyes of the alluring stranger who was her reflection. The hairstylist and make-up artist had left the tent, and she was in the company of Nikki and Elaine. Her gold-tinted Ballet (ankle-length) veil with slight floral lace embroidering the hem was set into her hair by a pearl comb decorated with pink trailing arbutuses (thee only do I love).

"You look beautiful, Mamori."

"Do you think Hiruma-kun will think so?"

"If he doesn't, he ain't no frostbite. Oh no, he's a goddamned _iceberg_!"

"Well _that_'s the most comforting thing I've ever heard. I'm getting married to an _iceberg_."

"Actually, if you look at it in that perspective, at least you know what he'd say to you in this state."

"And what would that be, oh wise Elaine?"

" 'Chill'. Now stay still, your veil snagged on a hairpin."

"Ah!"

**Current condition: Anxious**

xo.—_the Groom_—.ox

"So you _did_ buy yourself a tux. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Shut up, fucking old man."

"To think you'd finally take this marriage seriously, I'm so proud of you!"

"You're pushing it."

"Now, now. What would Anezaki say if you were to ruin the most important day of her life?"

"This would be an even more memorable day if you were to vanish from the face of the planet."

"Nicole will be devastated."

"That's _another_ annoying blister I'll be glad to be rid off."

"Mamo-chan wouldn't be too happy if one of her best buds was upset, now would she?"

"Either you clam it right now or I'm gonna have to find some other ass to stand on my left at the altar."

"You're actually really nervous, aren't you?"

"_Shut the fuck up!!_"

'Ah. Bingo!'

**Current condition: -stated-**

ox.—_the Bride_—.xo

Mamori was peeking out through a gap in the tent flap. There were quite a few tall people seated (Gaou and Ootawara included. They sat on more than one chair), and they were blocking her view of the altar. "Oh dear, why did Suzuna have to invite so many people?"

"You didn't particularly object it before, now did you? In fact, you said it was a pretty good idea," said Nikki, "You need to relax Mamori; there's no use panicking—its not like you'll screw up or something, right?"

"What if I do?"

"Will you please just be positive?!"

**Current condition: 'Oh Lord… I'm sorry for everything I've done… Please kill me now…'**

xo.—_the Groom_—.ox

All the guests were seated and Hiruma was standing with Musashi and the pastor at the altar. He didn't like it; standing there in a penguin suit for all to see. And that fucking Musashi had made him comb his hair back too (with the exception of a few straw strands that Suzuna had said made him look sexier insert Hiruma's snarl). He could hear some people snickering from among the crowd, but his artillery had been confiscated with the cooperation of the entire Devil Bats team.

No, he didn't like it at all.

**Current condition: 'Where's a black hole when you bloody need one?!'**

ox.—_the Bride_—.xo

The organist began to play, prominent melodious notes announcing the beginning. It was time.

Mamori stood before the tent entrance, glancing at the maroon carpet that was the aisle. In her hands, she held a bouquet with colors varying from sky blue to royal purple, with hints of white and pale yellow.  
And they were trembling.

"Suzuna-chan, I don't think I can do this…"

"What?! Mamo-nee, everything's gonna be _fine_!"

"Anezaki, calm down! Just because you're wearing 2½ inch stilettos with a seriously expensive long, flowing gown that most likely tears easily, it doesn't mean you're gonna trip and embarrass yourself in front of practically every single person you've known in you entire life here in Japan!"

"Nikki, is that supposed to make me feel better? Cuz I can really use a sick bag right now."

Elaine threw up her hands in exasperation and went up to Mamori, adjusting the silk golden ribbons that tied her (currently thought as murderous) stilettos, "See? They're fine. And I've made sure that unless there's a rip in it to begin with or you make some strong person pull it really hard on purpose, it won't tear, all right? (A/N: She actually tested went through the trouble of buying another pair to test them before returning them with the excuse 'they tore the moment I put them on!'…) Now go on! Your fiancé is waiting."

Mamori blushed, set her face and nodded. As she stepped into the sun, she felt the many eyes of those present upon her.

**Current condition: 'I can do this!'**

xo.—_the Groom_—.ox

Hiruma's back was toward the crowd.

He heard them gasp and whisper as (it could only be) Mamori exited her tent.  
That stupid tent he hadn't even allowed himself to _look_ at.

He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, unable to turn around.  
His heart was pounding in his chest and his palms were sweaty—he was really doing this.

He had never actually pondered about commitment. It had seemed such a simple thing. What was there to it?

_**Things that come to his mind when thinking of marriage:**_

_**1. Living together (but he already does that)**_

_**2. Couple must wear stupid irritating rings**_

_**3. Get bigger house**_

_**4. Kids**_

_**5. Women get even more troublesome**_

_**6. End of bachelor life**_

_**7. A guy's worst nightmare**_

So why was he doing this again?

A nudge from Musashi brought him out of his silent contemplation, and he turned to see him nod in the general direction of Mamori.  
No. Je wasn't going to run away. Hiruma took a deep breath and slowly pivoted on his heels.

His air left him and his heart stopped.

An angel… a stunning goddamned goddess was approaching him, each step following the beat of the music. And yet she seemingly floated towards him, as if walking on the surface of calm water with elegant steps. Her gown itself flowed down her slender body. Her auburn locks framing her pale yet rosy cheeks, bringing out the alluring cerulean orbs that were her eyes, looking at him from under thick, long eyelashes. Her luscious, red lips stretched in a small smile; for him. The veil she wore upon her head gave the impression of golden rays emitting from her being.

It took all his will not to go toward her, to hold her, love her.  
He didn't deserve this beauty.

But he was definitely getting it anyway.

**Current condition: Breathless**

ox.—_the Bride_—.xo

The moment she had stepped out, she felt all her courage crumbling into dust. There was absolutely no way she was going to make it all the way to the altar; she'd die before she was halfway there!

But then she heard Suzuna's encouraging whisper from behind, "Just look forward!"

And she did.

The moment she saw him, all the worries that were suffocating her heart vanished, leaving her breathless. The striking man standing before her: his stance dignified. His dark hair was swept back, revealing his exotic and angular complexion with stray bits hanging before his eyes. The emerald irises held a gaze so piercing and yet so warm, and they were focused on none but her. A man with an aura so powerful, she would have stopped in her tracks if not for her body, which yearned to get closer to him.

Her eyes were only for this man, and her heart beat only for him.  
She wanted no one else.

And she finally had him

As she approached the altar, he held out his hand, a dazzling smile on his handsome face. She knew this man. And how could she not love him, for who he was?  
Accepting it with her own, she stood beside him, his hand holding hers ever so tenderly—as if she would break.

There was silence, once again.

**Current condition: Alive**

d.—_Narration_—.b

The crowd watched in hushed silence as the pastor cleared his throat and spoke.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and bless the joining together of this man, and this woman, in holy matrimony. For those with reason to object, speak now or forever hold your peace." (A/N: This is the part where Shrek was supposed to burst in on Fiona and whatshisname, isn't it?)

For a few moments, everything was in silence as the pastor waited in respectable silence. He then faced Hiruma.

"Hiruma Yoichi, do you take Anezaki Mamori to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he said, glancing at Mamori with the smile still on his face.  
Now, the pastor turned to Mamori,

"And do you, Anezaki Mamori, take Hiruma Yoichi to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

Mamori gazed into Hiruma's eyes, returning his smile, "I do."  
The pastor nodded knowingly.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And so they obliged.

xo.—_the Groom_—.ox

**_8. H__ot sex with hot wife…  
and it's legal too._**

Did I say it was every guy's nightmare? I meant dream.

**Current condition: 'Lucky!'**

x.o.x

Yes, they escaped the reception. Wasn't that obvious?

Hiruma threw Mamori's bouquet far and high and had yelled, "Whoever catches that gets all their data removed from my threat notebook!"  
Monta returned vicotious to find the couple missing.

Now, we shall leave them to their secret honeymoon getaway and their 'personal bonding'.

* * *

_And that's it! Did I mention its 4am here? Wow, it's been almost a year, eh? I'm gonna be writing an epilogue next and… I guess that'll be it. I hope you enjoyed it! And again, I'm sorry if I got any part of this marriage thing wrong, I _did_ try my best, okay? R&R, please and tq!_


End file.
